


Coven

by Lady_Blade_WarAngel



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Abandonment, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Covenants, F/M, Gen, M/M, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2014-04-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 05:24:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Blade_WarAngel/pseuds/Lady_Blade_WarAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brienne Tarth had no idea what was coming her way. In one day she found out she couldn't touch people or she would kill them, she learned she had been lied to her whole life, and she found out she was a witch. Meeting Jaime Lannister didn't help to make her life any easier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The summary probably isn't very good. I can't think of one. It's just not coming to me at the moment. This was partly inspired by watching the first episode of American Horror Story: Coven. I love the twisted nature of AHS but I don't believe this is going to be as twisted. Don't get me wrong. There will be some pretty twisted things going on in this story. I'm just not as genius as the creators of AHS. LOL! But I haven't put any archive warnings because I'm really not sure what the hell kind of things are going to happen here. I don't know which warnings to put up. So just be prepared that anything could happen.

Coven.

Chapter 1.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

For most people, Friday the thirteenth was bad luck. Brienne learned how true that was. Brienne was thirteen years old, on Friday the thirteenth, when she learned what she was. She was being teased constantly at school for being too large for a girl, too freckled, too flat-chested, too ugly. Brienne avoided the bullies mostly. Nasty words and being tripped in the school corridors was nothing, and they could never catch her to follow her home. They weren’t fast enough. If there was one thing Brienne Tarth was good at, it was running. One day, she was kept behind to speak to a teacher about her coursework. It was the only time Brienne had ever stayed late at school, and she soon learned that it was the wrong thing to do. When she walked out of the school gates, she was surrounded. A group of boys, all of them from the rugby team, all of them big, even if they weren’t all bigger then her, had been waiting to catch her off guard. She was trapped and surrounded.

“It’s time to see what it hides under those baggy clothes!” One of the boys exclaimed.

“Probably a dick. There’s no way that’s a girl!” Another boy yelled. Brienne recognised Ron Connington and Hyle Hunt among them. She knew them, they had been acquaintances when she was a small child. Their fathers were all friends, and Brienne had been forced to spend time with them. They had never shown her kindness. Hyle had. Last year, he had started to be friendly towards her. He’d tried to convince her that he was growing up and he was starting to see what a great personality she had. She found out the truth before it went too far. He had made a bet with Ron and some of the other boys that he could take her virginity, and Brienne hated them all for it. But she refused to let them drag her down. She stayed quiet and out of trouble. If she rose to their taunts then she would be no better.

“You gonna do the honours Beastly Brienne? Or would you rather we do it? It’ll be the only time men ever strip you.” Ron stated coldly. Brienne glared at them all.

“You’re not men. You’re a bunch of little boys.” Brienne stated angrily. Two of them grabbed hold of her arms then, and started trying to yank off her jeans. Brienne screamed and kicked out. That was when two other boys had pulled her legs and held them down. Brienne screamed even more loudly as she started to see the skin on her legs being exposed to the world.

“It don’t look like she’s got one Ron!” One boy said.

“We should pull down those panties and make sure.” Another one said. As Ron and Hyle touched the skin on Brienne’s legs, so close to her underwear that Brienne really thought they might succeed in pulling it off, they both fell away from her, holding hands over their faces. Ron and Hyle both had blood streaming from their noses, their eyes, their ears and their mouths. They started to convulse and fell to the ground and Brienne was horrified. The other boys let her go and ran. She pulled herself up and then yanked up her jeans. She could still see the boys convulsing on the pavement, and so, even though she hated them, she ran into the school and asked for a teacher and an ambulance.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne had to speak to the police. Ron and Hyle both died. The doctors said they both suffered fatal brain aneurisms, but they couldn’t understand where all the blood had come from. Brienne could only think that this had happened when they touched her skin. Of course the police got the security camera footage from outside the school gates, and they saw everything that happened. The other boys were found and charged with assaulting her, even though they didn’t manage to succeed in their endeavour. Ron and Hyle’s fathers both thanked Brienne for her kindness in still trying to get them help even after what they had done to her. Brienne couldn’t help wondering if it was her fault somehow. She sat with her father, who had gone to the funerals. He looked at her carefully.

“Brienne, is it true that Hyle and Ron only started to... convulse after touching your skin?” Her father asked her. Brienne couldn’t lie to her father, and so she nodded. He sighed as he looked at her.

“I didn’t mean for them to die.” Brienne said sadly.

“This wasn’t your fault Brienne. I should have told you years ago. Before anything like this... I couldn’t have foreseen this.” Her father said. Brienne was confused. “Brienne, your mother and her mother before her, and hers before her, they were all witches Brienne. The magic manifests in different ways. Your magic is... your gift manifested in this way, that your body will kill anyone who touches your skin. It’s happened before. Your mother told me about it. I... I’m so sorry Brienne.” Her father said.

“What do you mean Dad? What are you sorry for?” Brienne asked. She was extremely confused when two men stepped into the room with one woman. Brienne jumped out of her seat, frightened and not knowing what to do. “Dad? Who are these people? Dad! What’s going on? What are you doing? Dad!” Brienne screamed. She was terrified.

“I’m so sorry Brienne, but these people can help you learn to control your gift. They’ll be able to take care of you properly. I can’t give you the guidance you need now.” Her father said. The two men were stern and didn’t speak as they grabbed hold of her. Brienne screamed and struggled. That was when she felt a pinprick in the back of her neck. Her world careened into blackness and she knew no more.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne found herself in a strange room. There was a girl with curly brown hair sat beside the bed she was lying on.

“Who are you?” Brienne whispered. The girl smiled.

“I’m Margaery. Margaery Tyrell. I’m a sixth generation witch. My grandmother Olenna is one and she’s the headmistress here. We have a lot of power over plants. What brought you here?” Margaery asked. Brienne blinked.

“I don’t know where here is.” Brienne replied.

“This is Madam Tremeaire’s School for Gifted Young Students. Also know as a school for witches to our kind.” Margaery replied.

“Our kind?” Brienne asked. She was so confused.

“Witches. Did you only just find out that you’re a witch?” Margaery asked. Brienne noticed the girl was holding her hand then. She jumped up, terrified that Margaery would start to convulse, to bleed and die as Hyle and Ron had done. “It’s alright Brienne. You’re... gift... doesn’t affect us. We’ve got witch blood like you. There are few people who can do what you do.” Margaery said.

“What I can do? I killed two boys!” Brienne yelled.

“Not on purpose Brienne. It was an accident and it wasn’t your fault. What they did to you, what they would have done to you if they hadn’t been struck down by your gift, doesn’t bare thinking about.” Margaery and Brienne both looked to see a red haired woman standing in the doorway. “I’m Catelyn Stark. I’m a teacher here. I was also a friend of your mother’s.” Catelyn said kindly. Brienne was very confused. She felt sick and the world was spinning around her. “Here, you should eat. You’ve been out cold since yesterday morning. You’re probably feeling sick from lack of food.” Catelyn said. She placed a bowl of something on top of a dresser in the room and moved forward, gently pressing Brienne to sit back down on the bed. Then she went and took the bowl from the dresser and handed it to Brienne. Brienne looked at it. “It’s just soup dear. Everything is going to be alright.” Catelyn said.

“My father just...” Brienne wanted to cry. Her father had sent her away. He hadn’t even spoken to her properly. He’d just tossed her aside. “He threw me away. I’m defective and he got rid of me.” Brienne said sadly. She felt a lone tear fall down her cheek.

“You are _not_ defective Brienne. Once you learn to control your gifts everything will be fine. A lot of witches don’t discover their gifts until they turn thirteen.” Catelyn said gently. Brienne took note that Catelyn hadn’t bothered correcting her about her father.

“Gifts? I kill anyone that touches my skin!” Brienne exclaimed. Catelyn gave Brienne a kind smile.

“That can be controlled. It will take time, but you will be able to control your reaction to people eventually. Your great grandmother also had the same problem with her magic. She learned to control it. You will too.” Catelyn said gently. “You should try and eat. I heard you put up a fight to come here. They had to dose you with St John’s Wort.” Catelyn said softly. Brienne blinked.

“I didn’t know where I was going, who they were, what they wanted with me? Why shouldn’t I have fought? My father didn’t tell me anything! He just said ‘I’m sorry Brienne’ and let some men take me away!” Brienne yelled. Catelyn sat beside her and gently stroked a few haphazard locks of Brienne’s straw coloured hair from her face.

“He was trying to do what was best for you Brienne. It may not seem that way now, and maybe he didn’t go about it the right way, but he really was just trying to do the right thing by you.” Catelyn said softly. Brienne nodded, not really wanting to argue about it.

“This is going to be your room. You can decorate it however you want!” Margaery exclaimed. Brienne nodded and looked around. It was a simple room, though it was large. She sat on a double bed, there was a dresser, wardrobe, desk and chair, and in one corner were a suitcase and a few bags. Her father had packed her up and shipped her away. Brienne wasn’t sure if she could ever forgive him for that. For the moment, she tried to eat and she listened to Catelyn and Margaery speak about the school.

“There are twenty five students here, including yourself. You’ll meet them all at dinner, hopefully. Margaery is one student. There are boys and girls here. Witch blood runs from mothers to their children, so boys can also be witches. It’s rare for men to pass on the genes though.” Catelyn replied.

“So you’re saying that not only am I an ugly teenage girl, but I’m an ugly teenage girl who can’t touch anyone with her skin except for someone who carries witch blood? The narrow pool of any guy that might have had a small amount of interest has just gone down like... ninety percent.” Brienne said. She wasn’t sure exactly how much this bothered her. But she knew enough about life to know that if she ever wanted a family of her own one day, she would need a man to provide certain things. That meant one would have to be interested in her, and so few boys had ever shown her any interest. Catelyn sighed.

“Brienne, as you get older you’ll be able to control it better. Besides, you are not just some ugly teenage girl. You are a witch of the Evenfall line. Your mother was the last and that makes you the heir to the Evenfall legacy.” Catelyn said. Brienne blinked.

“I have a legacy?” Brienne asked. She was so confused. No one had ever told her any of this. She felt a deep surge of resentment towards her father then. He had never spoken to her, never told her anything to prepare her for this.

“Of course you do. Your great, great grandmother was the High Sorceress of Ireland, and even further back, the first Evenfall Witch was a druidic High Priestess who helped to invent the code that all witches are now supposed to live by.” Margaery said. Brienne shook her head in confusion.

“No one ever told me any of this. I had an older brother once. He... he drowned when I was nine, and my mother died in childbirth with my little sister. I don’t understand any of this.” Brienne said sadly. Margaery looked confused. Catelyn looked unhappy.

“Margaery, go and tell your grandmother that Brienne is awake and see if Old Nan knows when dinner will be ready.” Catelyn said to the girl. Margaery nodded and was gone. Brienne tried to eat the soup that Catelyn had bought to her, but she found herself sorely lacking in appetite as she thought on how her father had betrayed her.

“Brienne, I had no idea your father hadn’t told you about any of this. He... he gave no indication when he called us that you didn’t know about your heritage. Your brother...” Catelyn trailed off, her voice filled with sadness. Brienne was shaking and wondering what she meant about her brother. “You need to eat. You may not feel hungry but you will feel better once you’ve eaten. You’re just in shock and recovering from the St John’s Wort that you were dosed with.” Catelyn added. Brienne sighed and she tried to eat. Once she concentrated fully on the food, she found she was starving and wolfed it down as fast as she could. Catelyn smiled at her. Once Brienne was finished, and Catelyn moved the bowl. She sat beside Brienne again. “Do you feel better now?” Catelyn asked.

“I could still eat a horse I think.” Brienne said. She felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks then.

“Don’t worry Brienne. I’ll explain all I know to you. I’m sure Headmistress Olenna knows more too.” Catelyn said gently.

“My father betrayed me. He did. He never told me anything. Then he threw me away as soon as I showed any sign of being different. I... I always thought my Dad would love me no matter what.” Brienne said. She was still so young. She felt Catelyn’s arms around her, and she cried for what felt like the first time in forever, and once she had finished, she felt better. That was when Margaery arrived back.

“Old Nan will be serving dinner in fifteen minutes Mrs Stark.” Margaery said. Catelyn nodded and looked at Brienne.

“Brienne, wash your face and then Margaery will show you to our dining room. You’ll meet your fellow students and witches there.” Catelyn said. Brienne nodded her agreement and Catelyn smiled and left the room.

“Where’s the bathroom?” Brienne asked.

“You’ve got one in here.” Margaery replied. She walked over to a door that Brienne had assumed was a closet, but it opened into a medium sized bathroom. Brienne went in and washed her face with cold water.

“Are you ready to go Brienne?” Margaery asked. Brienne looked at Margaery and nodded. She was ready. This was a new day and a new life for Brienne Tarth, the last Evenfall Witch.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne was led to a great dining room, where there was a great rectangular table. Many students were already sat down. Brienne noticed that three of the students had red hair like Catelyn, and there was a boy who looked like Margaery.

“Hey everyone!” Margaery called out. The table fell silent. “This is Brienne Tarth, she’s one of us now.” Margaery stated. Brienne was awestruck as each student stood up one by one and said their names. The three red heads were Robb, Sansa and Bran Stark. A dark haired girl beside them was Arya Stark, and another dark haired boy, Jon Snow, was their cousin, who held a red haired child on his lap, who was introduced as five year old Rickon Stark. The brown haired boy who looked like Margaery, introduced himself as her brother, Loras Tyrell. Five, tanned girls introduced themselves as Arianne Martell, and her four cousins, Obara, Nymeria or Nym as she preferred, Tyene and Sarella Martell. A dark, short haired girl, introduced herself as Asha Greyjoy, and her brother Theon, introduced himself beside her. A silver haired girl introduced herself as Daenerys Targaryen. A girl with chestnut hair introduced herself as Jeyne Westerling, and a dark haired girl introduced herself as Jeyne Poole. Another girl with fire red hair introduced herself simply as Ygritte. A gruff teenage boy, who was older and bigger than Brienne, introduced himself as Sandor Clegane. A younger boy introduced himself as Podrick Payne. A girl with coal black hair and storm blue eyes, introduced herself as Mya Stone, and a boy, who was sat near Arya, introduced himself as Gendry Waters. Brienne had thought that Mya and Gendry were brother and sister, with their extremely similar looks, but she didn’t ask any questions. The last one, Brienne couldn’t help recognising as soon as her eyes fell on him. She gasped in shock as he stood up and was taller than her.

“Galladon?” Brienne asked in shock. Galladon grinned back at her.

“Brienne! You’ve got the gift too?” Galladon asked. Brienne felt lost as she looked at her older brother, who was supposed to be dead. She’d been told he was dead. How many betrayals could one girl take from her own father? 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne learns more about her history as she gets to grip with her gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I've added loads of warnings, because this story will probably get very dark. Not even necessarily for Jaime or Brienne, but there will be dark aspects in this story. So I thought I would add the warnings.

Coven.

Chapter 2.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne stared and Galladon just looked at her confused.

“Brienne? What’s wrong? I know we haven’t spoken in years. I wrote to you but you never replied. You’re not angry that I left are you? It wasn’t something I planned. It wasn’t my choice.” Galladon said gently. Brienne shook her head, still confused.

“Galladon? How can you be here? That’s not possible! Dad said...” Brienne trailed off. She was so shocked that her brother was stood in front of her. He was four years older than her. It had been four years since his ‘death’ and she had mourned her brother, and missed him so badly. She had blamed herself and all this time he was here.

“Brienne? What did father say?” Galladon asked. Brienne shivered.

“He said you died. He said you drowned when we went to the seaside that day. That’s what he told me. He sent you here, like he sent me here and he told me you were dead.” Brienne was shaking, not even sure if it was rage or trying to control the urge to cry that made her tremble. Galladon moved across the room and hugged Brienne tightly. She had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.

“Brienne, you don’t have to be scared here. Our father may have abandoned us, but we are Evenfall Witches. We’ll be fine.” Galladon whispered to her gently. Brienne wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Her father had lied to her, her whole life.

“Are our mother, Alysanne and Arianne hiding here too? Did he lie about them being dead too?” Brienne asked. Galladon shook his head.

“No Brie. He didn’t lie about them. I’m so sorry Brie. I wasn’t there for you. But he sent me away. One day everything was normal, the next I could make things explode by looking at them. Then I was shipped off here.” Galladon said. That was when the teachers arrived. Catelyn stood next to a dark haired man that could only be her husband. He introduced himself to Brienne as Ned Stark. Headmistress Olenna introduced herself as well, and there was a woman called Osha with them, she was a servant of the house, her family had served for generations. An old woman, who seemed too old to even move, let alone be a witch, was introduced as Old Nan. She was apparently the cook. Soon, the group were sat down to eat, and Brienne found herself staring at her brother throughout the meal. She wasn’t sure if she could handle all these changes that were being thrown at her all in one go.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

It had been three months since Brienne had arrived at the Witch’s school, and in three months, Brienne had learned that not all the students who were at the school had learned about their ‘gifts’ as yet. Loras, Tyene, Sarella, Podrick, Arya, Bran and Rickon were all still a little too young yet. Most witches learned their skills when they hit thirteen. Something about it being the number of power amongst their kind had been mentioned on several occasions. She also learned that ‘the gift’ wasn’t limited to one power set per person. Galladon was able to make things literally explode with the power of his mind. But with that power, he had had to learn serious mental control. With that control, he now had the ability to move and aim and control things with his mind. It took a great deal of concentration, but Galladon was a magical telekinetic. Margaery, who was thirteen like Brienne, could grow and kill plants at will. She and Headmistress Olenna both had that ability. Margaery was unlike Brienne had been at the school for years preparing for the emergence of her powers. Her brothers, Garlan and Willas had also studied at the school. Willas, the eldest, was nineteen. He had left the school last year, when he turned eighteen, and had gone home to Highgarden. The Highgarden witches were a legacy of their own, though not as old and esteemed as the Winterfell, Riverrun or Evenfall witches. Brienne found herself curious about Evenfall, her mother’s birthplace, but did not ask many questions because she was still coming to grips with her new life.

Willas Tyrell had had the ability to commune with plants and nature. Like Margaery and Olenna, he had been able to make plants grow at will, but he could also speak mentally with animals. Because of this, he found himself distracted often, and when he was thirteen, he had nearly been killed in a car accident, when he had heard the voices of animals for the first time and stopped dead whilst crossing the street. He had survived, but he walked with the support of a cane, and would do for the rest of his life. Garlan, who was sixteen, had never manifested a gift. But that wasn’t truly surprising. Not all children of witches had the gift, especially boys. Garlan had been at the school until he was thirteen, but when it was realised that he did not possess any magic, he started living his life the way most people did. He was happy enough. He would come and visit his little sister and brother quite often, and he had determined he was going to become a doctor. Witches needed treatment as well, and not all treatments could be explained as an accident. Garlan had said he wanted to be able to give everyone fair treatment so that they could keep their secrets.

That was something else Brienne had learned. Being a witch was a huge secret. People finding out about them was dangerous. It could mean death or a manhunt. They had been taught about the Salem Witch Trials in America, and that witch trials had been happening since antiquity and even before that. Brienne was shocked to learn that Joan of Arc had been a witch. In fact, Joan of Arc had been an Evenfall Witch. People thought she was a maid because she kept no lover or husband. No regular human knew of the one child she had given life to, a little girl called Catherine, who had been conceived when Joan had thought to be with her sweetheart. He had died on top of her. She had Brienne’s gifts, and had never known, just as Brienne hadn’t. Her family had hidden the child and raised her as their own to protect the legacy.

“But she was burned at the stake for being a Witch.” Brienne had stated in their class.

“Yes she was.” Catelyn said.

“But she said she wasn’t a Witch.” Brienne stated. She was confused that one of her greatest idols was her ancestor, and a liar.

“She wasn’t the kind of witch that they thought her to be. Brienne, what you have to understand is that most people thought Witches were evil. All witches. Hunts for innocents and good witches alike were horrible. Women were tortured like animals and then burned. After being forced to confess to things they had not done, such as conspiring with the Devil and seducing priests, murdering babies to drink their blood, and killing innocent women. Witches were accused of terrible acts Brienne. Joan said she was not a Witch, because she was not the Witch they were looking for. She didn’t commit acts of evil, and she was declared innocent after her death. For all any of us know, she may have had visions from God. She found herself in a predicament when her lover died from her touch and she gave birth to a child that she could never publically claim. Catherine is known through history as Joan’s sister, and no Witch would dare to try and correct it. We know the importance of keeping the secret Brienne. We know how things may change. Joan may have married, may even have had more children, had she not been accused of Heresy and burned at the stake. She denied being evil Brienne. She had every right to.” Catelyn explained. Brienne nodded and found herself wondering if she was anything like Joan of Arc at all.

Robb and Jon were both fifteen, and Sansa who was thirteen like Brienne, were all known as Wargs. They could send their minds into creatures and control them. In fact they had wolves that lived with them in their rooms. Arya, Bran and Rickon also had wolves. It was widely accepted that the other three children would also be Wargs as they had all had what the others called ‘Warg dreams’ where they had dreamed they were their wolves. Gendry was able to shape metal to his will and so was Mya, which just made Brienne think that they were brother and sister even more. Mya was fifteen, and Gendry was thirteen. Arianne who was sixteen, could freeze regular people around her. A whole street would suddenly freeze at her command. Obara who was also sixteen and Nymeria who was fourteen could charm snakes merely by looking at them. They could use their blood to make poison so potent that it could kill in moments. It was assumed that Sarella, aged twelve and Tyene aged ten, would also be able to do this later on. Jeyne Westerling who was fifteen, was able to heal others with the power of her touch alone. Brienne envied her that. She would rather heal with a single touch, than kill with one. Jeyne Poole, who had just discovered her own gifts now when she had reached thirteen, could become completely invisible at a moment’s notice, if she became anxious or sad, it would just happen at will. Asha and Theon had the power to manipulate water. Their whole family had this power, and were able to control the sea in a way that no sailor ever could. Asha was seventeen and Theon fifteen. Daenerys, who was thirteen herself, had the power to be completely unharmed by fire. Her family had once been able to control dragons when they existed, and as a result, Dany was never burned. Sandor, on the other hand, feared fire. He would never admit to it, but Brienne saw how he cringed whenever Dany was asked to demonstrate her gifts. Dany would stick her hand into a licking flame and come out unscathed, but Sandor would look horrified. Sandor’s own gift, was the ability to change himself into a shadow and disappear into the night. He was seventeen years old. Ygritte, was able to make fires in her hands. Her body could not remain unscathed by fire as Dany’s could, but her hands could create flames and she could use them as weapons if she chose. Where she came from, she was known as being ‘kissed by fire’ for her red hair and her fire abilities. Ygritte was fifteen years old too. Arya was eleven, Bran was seven, Rickon was four and Podrick was ten. All of them considered too young to have developed their gift. This was what Brienne learned in the first three months at the school.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne found herself confused when asked to touch a mouse in a cage. She shook her head violently. She had been at the school for nearly a year now. She had turned fourteen only a week ago, and she did not want to touch another living creature and kill it. She had found out early that touching other Witches would not kill them. She covered herself in clothing from the neck down when she left the school, afraid to brush against someone by accident, afraid to kill someone else. She looked at Galladon.

“It’s okay Brienne. I know you’re scared of killing it. But you need to know if animals are affected by your gift. That way you can be taught more about how to control it.” Galladon reassured. Galladon was eighteen now. He was a master at his own abilities and he had asked Headmistress Olenna if he could become a teacher at the school. Olenna had agreed, with the need for teachers desperate. There were too few of them. Brienne trembled as she picked up the mouse. It squeaked as it looked up at her, completely unharmed.

“See Brienne. It doesn’t kill animals.” Galladon said softly.

“And if it had?” Brienne asked. Galladon put an arm around her shoulders.

“Then we would know and we could avoid it happening again.” Galladon replied. Brienne sighed as she wished she knew what the point of her gift was. That was when Loras came running into the room. He had turned thirteen a month ago. In his hands was a large red rose, which he handed to Sansa with a flourish.

“I’m a purebred Highgarden Witch.” Loras stated cheerfully. Brienne couldn’t help thinking how Loras’ discovery was so different to her own. She had been terrified and unknowing and unprepared. She had killed. Loras had created life and had known it would happen. He had been prepared for it. In that moment, Brienne knew she would never truly be able to forgive her father for leaving her unprepared and then abandoning her to her fate. She couldn’t forgive him for lying to her about Galladon either. She also wondered if she would ever see him again. She wondered what she would say to him. She frowned to herself as she felt Galladon squeeze her shoulder gently with one hand.

“It’s all going to be alright Brienne.” Galladon said gently. Brienne smiled.

“I hope so.” Brienne replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note. I know people are probably wondering why I've made Selwyn the bad guy. Well in every fic in which Selwyn appears, he's always the good guy. I've never seen him cast as the bad guy. So I thought I would try my hand at it. I'm not saying that Selwyn is evil. He's not evil, just very misguided and more then a little selfish. More of that will be revealed in later chapters. 
> 
> For those waiting for Jaime. He will appear. I promise. Maybe not next chapter, but most likely in chapter four, or definitely in chapter 5. Thanks for your patience.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne learns more about why her family have such volatile powers...

Coven.

Chapter 3.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne had been at the Witch School for nearly two years. She was nearly fifteen, and as she had gotten older, she had learned a great deal about her powers. For one thing, she could not touch a living person without causing them severe harm. It was a protective shield her magic erected around her. Only witches and animals could break past the barrier. Brienne found herself wearing clothing from her neck downwards, always. She couldn’t feasibly hide her face, but the rest of her flesh was covered at all times. Brienne had cut her hair since she had arrived at the school. Her father had made her keep it long, but now she had no contact from her father. She’d cut in a bob, that was shorter at the back and longer in front. It covered her ears, which stopped the temptation of any outside harassment. She’d often had her ears yanked by stupid boys, and now she couldn’t afford the luxury of not caring about those who might want to. Recently, Brienne had learned that she was able to hear everything. Her hearing was almost inhuman. She only had to be sitting in the next room, and she would hear the occupants talking as clear as if she had put earphones in her ears and started listening to her Ipod. She learned this a few months ago when she had been sitting in the common room. She’d heard the teachers head into the study next door. Catelyn, Olenna and Ned had closed the door behind them. The walls were thick and the door was made of solid oak, and Brienne should not have been able to hear a single word. But she did.

 _“So Selwyn remarried?”_ Catelyn asked.

 _“Yes. It appears he already had someone ready for the opportunity. He has another son called Gareth. He and his new wife are now hoping for a daughter. She’s having another child.”_ Olenna replied. Brienne couldn’t breathe as she heard them. She walked closer to the wall.

 _“He hasn’t been in contact with Galladon or Brienne? Not to tell them about any of this?”_ Ned asked. _“That’s...”_ Ned trailed off.

 _“Cruel? Cold? Repugnant? Yes. I agree, but there is nothing we can do about it.”_ Olenna said sadly.

 _“What about Galladon and Brienne? They deserve to know the truth.”_ Catelyn said.

 _“Do you think the truth would help them right now?”_ Olenna asked.

 _“No. But they deserve it anyway.”_ Ned replied. Brienne felt sick as she listened.

 _“If we tell them about this what do you think it will do to them? How did Jon feel when you told him you weren’t his parents? Ned, you and Cat both know that it’s sometimes better to keep silent then to speak. I don’t want to see that poor girl destroyed, anymore then I want to see Galladon on a rampage. You know the truth of the Evenfall Witches. Why their powers are so destructive? We all know. Even Alysanne knew. That poor woman came to me after Brienne was born, begging me to give her a spell to take away her magical abilities. She begged because she didn’t want Brienne to be like her ancestors. She wanted her to have a chance. I could only use a spell that would allow her to live a normal life until she was thirteen.”_ Olenna said sadly.

 _“What do you mean?”_ Catelyn asked.

 _“Brienne was born able to kill ordinary humans with her touch, just as Joan of Arc was. Joan was raised in a family of witches. There was no need to keep her powers bound. With Brienne and her human father, and possibly human siblings, Alysanne came to me pleading that I do something. But I could only bind her gift until she came of age. Alysanne was a pure Evenfall Witch. She knew too. The destructive powers of the Evenfall witches were legendary. Their powers were dark and dangerous, when the first Evenfall Witch was cursed for her honour. You know the story.”_ Olenna finished.

 _“The story of the first Brienne, the first Evenfall Witch. Of course we know it. Olenna, it’s a myth.”_ Catelyn said.

 _“No. Brienne Evenfall, was the first Evenfall Witch. She was asked to make a choice. She was considered to have betrayed her Coven by marrying a human, a man whose family were known traitors, Witch hunters who murdered hundreds of our kind. But she loved him and he her, and he was not a witch hunter. She was given a choice. Renounce her love for him, or be cursed with darkness. She refused to renounce her love for him. She was far too honourable. So she was cursed. Every few generations, the curse skips to another daughter. Another daughter who cannot conceive a child without killing a human mate. Alysanne wasn’t cursed with the power, but Brienne was. Selwyn knew what Brienne was. He made a plan to keep his daughter ignorant, and he ignored what would eventually come to pass.”_ Olenna said sadly. Brienne was shaking as she found herself next to the wall that adjoined the study.

 _“He wilfully ignored what she might be able to do later on?”_ Ned asked.

 _“Yes. He wanted to pretend that she was normal. But Brienne is a Witch. She isn’t a human, and Selwyn could never accept it. Galladon had destructive capabilities, and Selwyn couldn’t accept that either. He wanted perfect children. Galladon and Brienne were not what he hoped for. The other two, the babies, Arianne and Alysanne, died in the cradle. Another part of the terrible curse laid at the door of Brienne Evenfall. Tragedy would dog their family forever. It was true. Brienne Evenfall slept with her husband, and he died. She was on the run for the rest of her days, with his Witch hunting family chasing her, but she gave birth to twins. Galladon and Arianne Evenfall. They carried on the line of Evenfall. Arianne wasn’t cursed with her mother’s ability, but lost many children. Galladon was constantly at war with his own abilities. Each new generation of Evenfall Witches have volatile and dangerous powers to deal with primarily. Powers that either destroy them or others around them. We’ve been trying to offset the curse for so long that it’s become a challenge to some witches. But no one has managed it. The Evenfall Witches need to ask for forgiveness from those that cursed them. The Casterly Witches. The Casterly Witches never forgive or forget. Especially as Brienne Evenfall was supposed to marry one of their own. I always thought it was more about being spurned to be honest. Alysanne went to see Joanna Casterly years ago, before she married. She begged the woman for forgiveness for the supposed sins of Brienne Evenfall, but Joanna had been forbidden from ever uttering a word. Her parents refused to allow it. Apparently, Joanna married a human rather than a witch to spite them for refusing forgiveness to an innocent girl. That’s beside the point. There are no more Casterly Witches left to forgive the Evenfall Witches. It’s a sad thing to admit, but the curse has no cure. Now should we go and tell Brienne and Galladon that not only has their father completely erased their existence from his life, but he is replacing them with other children and another family, and that they will be forced to bear the curse of their ancestors forever?”_ Olenna stated.

 _“We should at least tell Galladon. That young man is now a teacher. He should decide whether Brienne knows or not. We can’t just keep the information from them. Lies have a habit of making their way out into the light of day Olenna. You know this.”_ Ned replied. Brienne got up and found herself in a daze. She ran out of the room and down the hall. Her Doc Marten boots pounded the hardwood floors. Olenna stuck her head out of the study.

“Brienne?” Olenna called. Brienne didn’t answer. She opened the door and ran from the house. She had no idea where she was going, only that she needed to see for herself if Olenna, Ned and Catelyn had been telling the truth about her father.

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Galladon arrived at the school after going with Osha to get the groceries in town. Someone always went with her. She wasn’t expected to go and get everything herself. When he returned, he saw the house was in chaos.

“What’s going on?” Galladon asked. Olenna looked at Galladon.

“Brienne is missing.” Olenna said.

“What? How? When?” Galladon asked. Olenna sighed.

“You’d best come and sit down in the study. This might take a while.” Olenna stated. Ned and Catelyn followed after him. He was confused as he looked at them.

“What is going on?” Galladon asked. Olenna sighed and then spilled the whole story. The origins of the Evenfall curse, the news of his father, and then how Brienne, who had seemingly been next door, proved by her book lying on the table where she’d left it in her hurry to leave, must have heard everything. That was the only explanation for her to be running out of the house as she did.

“I still don’t know how she heard through the walls. They’re so thick.” Catelyn said. Galladon sighed.

“She must have developed a new ability and heard you all without realising she was doing it. It’s happened before hasn’t it?” Galladon asked. Catelyn nodded.

“I should have thought of that. That poor girl. How on earth are we going to find her?” Catelyn said softly.

“She went home. Well, she went to see our father.” Galladon said.

“How do you know that?” Olenna asked.

“Because that’s Brienne all over. She’d want to prove it was all true. She’d want to see if our father really had remarried and had another child, and completely wiped us off of his mind. She’d want to see it for herself before she could know it was true.” Galladon said sadly. He stood up. “I’d like permission to go and get my sister back.” Galladon said. Olenna nodded.

“Alright. You’ll know where to go and how to speak to her in this situation. We can’t force her to stay at the school, but it’s better for her if she comes back. None of this is good for her. She’s still young and she’s probably frightened and angry. None of those emotions will be good where her powers are concerned. It’s a worry that she will cause herself or others harm with her abilities.” Olenna replied. Galladon nodded.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, with Brienne. It would be easier if I could take a transporter with me.” Galladon said.

“It’s lucky for you that I’m a transporter then, isn’t it?” The group turned to see Asha standing in the doorway.

“You’re not a transporter Asha.” Olenna said. Asha raised a brow. Then she disappeared from the doorway. She reappeared by Olenna’s side. “I just figured it out today. My mother was a transporter. It’s not surprising that I have both of my parent’s abilities.” Asha stated. Galladon looked at Asha.

“Asha it’s important to let me talk to Brienne alone at first. You know that right?” Galladon said.

“I know. I remember how Theon felt when our father said he didn’t want anything to do with him. It isn’t his fault that he’s different from Marron and Rodrik. They were harsh and cruel like the sea in a storm. Theon’s not so awful. He’s like the sea on a summer’s day. Father wanted him to be more vicious. I know what it’s like to comfort a sibling whose father no longer cares about them.” Asha replied. Galladon nodded.

“Come on then. Let me show you a picture of our old home. You’ll need the image to get there.” Galladon said gently. Asha nodded. Olenna rolled her eyes.

“She does need _my_ permission to leave the school you know.” Olenna stated. Asha rolled her eyes in response.

“May I please leave the school to help Galladon find Brienne?” Asha asked sarcastically.

“Yes you may. Was that so hard?” Olenna asked. Asha lifted her eyes heavenward and sighed.

“Let’s go Galladon.” Asha stated.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

It had taken Brienne what felt like days. She had gotten on a train and hiked the rest of the way to the ferry, where she’d used the last of her money to get a ticket on board the boat to the island. She walked all the way to her old home, and wanted desperately to knock on the door. Then she looked in the window. There was her father with another woman, bouncing an infant on his knee. The house was changed. All the old furniture that had apparently been picked by their mother, or so her father had told her, was gone. The house was redecorated, and the pictures of her and Galladon and her mother, that had used to be on the mantelpiece, were all gone. In their places were a wedding photo of him and this new woman, and baby pictures of her new brother. Brienne felt a sob catch in her throat.

“You know you could have talked to me Brienne. I would have bought you back here, even if this was all you were going to see.” Brienne spun around, nearly falling over in the process. Galladon stood only a couple of steps away from her, Asha was there but she quickly wandered off to the side. Brienne desperately wanted to cry.

“Why would he do this? He’s just forgotten that we exist. What did I do that was so wrong? I didn’t ask to be born this way. I didn’t want any of this.” Brienne pleaded. Galladon stepped forward and pulled his little sister into a hug. She really did sob then, for Galladon was the only one who dwarfed her and she so needed his comfort. She hugged back and she sobbed, great awful sobs broke free, and Galladon held her tightly and stroked her hair as good brothers do. When Brienne had finished crying Galladon gave her a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

“We can talk to our father if you want Brienne. I can arrange it. We can talk to him.” Galladon said. Brienne nodded. Galladon went over to the door and knocked on it. Through the window, Brienne noticed her father get up and from his gestures, she saw he was going to answer the door. Then she looked at Galladon, who was standing in the doorway. The door opened and Brienne looked at her father.

“What are you doing here?” Selwyn Tarth hissed at his son. Galladon glared.

“Brienne and I are here to talk to you. You’ve got a choice, father, either you ask your wife to go and run some errand, or Brienne and I will have this conversation with you while she’s here. I know you haven’t told her about us.” Galladon stated quietly, calmly. Their father glared at them both before nodding and going back into the house. Galladon came over to stand by Brienne and got her to crouch behind the bushes. They watched as their father’s wife left the house, the baby in his buggy, before they went back to the door. Selwyn opened the door not a minute later.

“Dad?” Brienne questioned softly. Selwyn Tarth seemed horrified to be confronted by his two children.

“Are we having this conversation on the doorstep Father?” Galladon asked coldly. Their father sighed and then walked into the house, sitting on his old armchair. It was the only thing that Brienne recognised in the whole room that she’d grown up in.

“So you threw me into the school, told Brienne I was dead and then got rid of her the same way as soon as she started to show any abilities? What would Mum have said? Do you think our mother would have been impressed with this, _dad?_ ” Galladon asked. His voice was cold.

“I did what I had to do. Your mother would have understood, and you have no right to speak to me in such a way. I am your father.” Selwyn Tarth stated angrily.

“Really? When was the last time you spoke to me? Hell when was the last time you spoke to Brienne? Since you sent me to the school six years ago, and Brienne two years ago. You haven’t once called or written. You remarried, had a new wife and a new son, and you never told her that you have two children. Or did you tell her _we_ were dead, like you told Brienne _I_ was dead? Is that it? Poor widower who lost his children and got to start again. Is that how she sees you?” Galladon asked. Selwyn glared at Galladon.

“I did what was best. Neither of you could come home. You’re both too destructive. Brienne managed to kill two boys that she’d known from childhood.” Selwyn stated. Brienne felt a stab of pain pierce her heart. She clenched her fists.

“I didn’t kill them, father! You killed them!” Brienne yelled angrily. Galladon and Selwyn both stared at her incredulously. “You could have told me what I was. You could have told me what I might be capable of. You chose not to. You chose to leave me ignorant. Then those boys attacked me. They attacked me! They held me down and Hyle and Ron pulled down my jeans. They were going to pull down my panties too! God knows what they would have done after that! But when they touched my skin, they died! I never wished them death but they got what they deserved! You are the one who killed them by not letting me know who and what I was, so don’t you dare blame me! You have no right to take the moral high ground with me! You abandoned me and Galladon! You lied to me! You! Did! This!” Brienne screamed. Galladon was horrified when he saw that things were floating around behind Brienne’s back. In her anger, Brienne had uncovered a new ability and it was frightening to see how things flew around the room without being touched.

“I was protecting you!” Selwyn yelled.

“You weren’t protecting me! You were protecting yourself! Did you ever love me Dad? Even a little? Did you ever consider me when you made your plans? When you told me Galladon was dead and I cried for over a year, had horrible nightmares, did you ever think of what you did to me?” Brienne exclaimed. Selwyn Tarth sat back heavily in his chair. Brienne shook her head. “You didn’t. You thought about yourself and your reputation. You thought that you could make us normal. But we’re not normal human beings. We’re Witches. We’re Evenfall Witches.” Brienne said softly. Slowly things started to float down to land softly on the ground. Brienne looked at the mantelpiece. “Where are the photos of my mother, my brother, my sisters and I?” Brienne asked. Selwyn blinked.

“Why do you want old photos Brienne?” Selwyn asked.

“They belong to me. They belong to Galladon. They will never belong to you. Not now. You don’t deserve to have pictures of my mother, of my sisters, or of me and Galladon. You never wanted us, so why should you keep pieces of us?” Brienne asked. Selwyn frowned.

“I never thought you could be so cold Brienne.” Selwyn said.

“I didn’t either until I learned the father I loved was a lie. I want to know what you did with mine and Galladon’s things and the photos.” Brienne stated. Selwyn frowned, not really seeming like he wished to answer. “Tell me father. Or I’ll show you what I’m capable of. I can barely stand to look at you. But I promise you, this whole house will go up in flames if you don’t tell me what you did with our things.” Brienne stated. She knew she wasn’t capable, but Galladon was capable of destroying a house with his mind alone. Selwyn glared angrily at his two children.

“I had all of it shipped to Evenfall Hall. That was your mother’s family home. There are no more of them left though. It’s just you two. Everything is there. I didn’t want reminders that I lost a whole family, and all of them monsters. I have a new family now. So leave. Leave me be. I’ll remember my children as the wonderful people they were, instead of the monsters they became.” Selwyn replied coldly.

“Our _mother_ was one of those _monsters_ when you _married_ her. You _knew_ what she was. You married her anyway. So _why_ marry her when you knew what she was and what she would give birth to? Especially as you seem to hate it so much.” Galladon asked. Selwyn glared.

“Alysanne wasn’t like them. She was different. She wasn’t a monster.” Selwyn said.

“Neither are we. You just couldn’t see past your own fear and prejudice to notice.” Brienne said. She looked at Galladon and then back at their father. “You’re right. We’re not your children. Not anymore. We’re Alysanne Evenfall’s children. We’re not Tarths, we’re Evenfalls and we will be until the day we die. I hope you know the pain you’ve caused us one day, Mister Tarth. I hope you see it in your nightmares and you weep for what you did to your own children. Maybe I should thank you for sending me to the school. I found friends, a family that would never abandon me there. I’ll thank you for that much Mister Tarth, but nothing else. I’ll never thank you for the lies and betrayal. I hope you see it all for yourself one day. When that day comes, you’ll want to beg for our forgiveness. Don’t ever come looking for us. Don’t even think on us. We’ll handle ourselves. We’ll look after each other. We don’t need you.” Brienne told her, once, father. She looked at Galladon. “Let’s go home Galladon.” Brienne said. Galladon smiled at Brienne and placed an arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah Brienne. Let’s go home. Asha is waiting for us. We’ll be there quickly. We’ll leave all of this behind us.” Galladon said gently. Brienne nodded and the pair left the house, leaving Selwyn Tarth alone in his dark thoughts.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

When the trio returned to the school, Catelyn, Ned and Olenna were waiting for them. Brienne looked at them.

“What you did was reckless and dangerous Brienne. We may not have been able to find you, or you might have been hurt!” Catelyn exclaimed.

“I’m sorry Mrs Stark. I’m sorry Mister Stark. I’m sorry Mrs Tyrell. I know I shouldn’t have run away, but I needed to see the truth for myself.” Brienne explained.

“And what did you learn dear?” Olenna asked.

“I learned that I’m not a Tarth. I’m an Evenfall. I would like to change my name, to be an Evenfall as my mother was. We will never be Tarths again. We should be what we were born to be.” Brienne said softly. Olenna smiled widely.

“I think that can be arranged.” Olenna stated. She looked at Galladon. “What about you Galladon? Are you a Tarth or an Evenfall?” Olenna asked.

“Brienne and I are both Evenfall Witches. We always were. Our father disowned us, so why should we give him the privilege of giving his name greatness through what we do?” Galladon replied. Olenna nodded.

“So you wish to be known as Galladon and Brienne Evenfall? I know someone who might be able to help.” Olenna said. Brienne and Galladon both nodded. They left the study and as Brienne turned to go to her room, Galladon placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I know you Brienne. Don’t feel guilty for saying what you said to him. He should have been a true father to us if he wanted us to care for him.” Galladon said. Brienne shook her head, tears shining in her eyes.

“That’s not it. He just... he called us monsters Galladon. He never loved us. How could he be so selfish? How could he never have thought of us?” Brienne asked. Galladon pulled his little sister into his arms and let her cry again. Once she stopped, Brienne stepped back and used her long sleeve to wipe at the tears. “I will never cry again Galladon. I’ll never cry again.” Brienne said. Galladon saw a hard sheet of ice settle over his little sister’s gaze and wondered if Brienne would ever recover from the betrayal of their father. He knew all he could do was wait. It would take time, and Galladon would have to give her that time now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I made Selwyn Tarth an evil little (insert curse word here) but I wanted to toy with that idea. I wanted to see what I could do with a horrible Selwyn Tarth, seeing as everyone else makes him this kind, genial old man, who dotes on his only child. So I wanted to work with him being an asshat. If Selwyn turns up again in this fic though, it won't be for a LONG time. LOL!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Students of the Witch School get some disturbing news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who made the time to comment and read and send me Kudos. it is much appreciated. This chapter might be a little long and lengthy, but next chapter will be interesting. At least I hope so. LOL!

Coven.

Chapter 4.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

As time passed by at the school, Brienne saw other pupils come into their powers as she did. The Starks all had the ability to slip in and out of the minds of their wolves, as well as Jon, who Brienne found out was the brother of Daenerys Targaryen. Lyanna Stark had been a powerful Witch. They thought she might have been the ‘High Sorceress’ the most powerful witch of their generation at the time. But she was assaulted and raped by Daenerys’ father. It caused a magical bloodbath that ended with the culling of almost the entire Targaryen clan. Daenerys and Jon being the only ones of Targaryen blood left, that anyone knew of. Ned’s father and brother, Rickard and Brandon, had gone to the Targaryen home, Dragonstone, and had used every single bit of power they possessed to find Lyanna, and kill everyone who stood in their way. Starks had always been powerful Witches. They had the blood of the very first witches flowing through their veins. They were known as the Winterfell Witches. Many witches believed that the Evenfall Witches also descended from the Starks, but it had never been proven. At the end, both Stark men, and the entire Targaryen household were dead. But Lyanna was not there. Catelyn had gone with Ned to retrieve the bodies of his father and older brother, only for Catelyn to use a power she had passed on to Robb, Sansa, Bran and Rickon. The power to read the thoughts of the dead. It was known as transference. The last thing the dead person or creature thought about was something Catelyn could read. Through this, Ned and Catelyn learned that Lyanna was being kept in another Targaryen stronghold. Ned had gone to get his sister with five other men who were loyal to the Stark Witches. Only Ned and his dear friend, Howland Reed, managed to survive the battle. They had found Lyanna, and also Jon. He was a newborn. He was just a baby, not even two days old. Lyanna had explained everything before she died, and Ned had taken her body, and her baby, home to Winterfell. Catelyn and Ned had raised Jon as their own, until Jon had started to show his own abilities. The ability to not be burned was the second ability to appear, after his Warging. Jon had found out that only Targaryens had the ability to be unharmed by fire. He had confronted the people he knew as his parents and he had been told the truth. That Ned and Catelyn were his Aunt and Uncle, not his mother and father, but they loved him, and he loved them. He never stopped calling them mother and father. He never stopped calling the other Starks his brothers and sisters. But he often found himself wondering what name he should have. He wondered if he should be a Stark or a Targaryen. He’d never felt like a Targaryen, or so he told Brienne when he finally related his tale to her. He’d always felt like a Stark. But he was not a Stark, he was a Winterfell Witch, as his mother had been. So he gave himself the name Jon Snow, for the winter of his family home.

Arya was unusual. Of all the children in the school, Arya was the strongest. Her abilities appeared early, and all at once, Arya could do everything. There seemed no limit to her abilities. She could charm snakes, walk on water, melt into the shadows, play with fire, use her mind to do practically anything. Arya was to be named the new ‘High Sorceress’ when she turned sixteen. Often, the youngest girl of the school would be found with Brienne. Arya had a deep respect for Brienne. She saw Brienne as someone to model herself after. Especially when Brienne took up practising with swords and learning to fight. Arya decided to also take up the lessons, for like Brienne, Arya wanted to defend herself. Brienne had learned that if she didn’t wish to be touched by others, she would have to make them leave her alone. So she learned to fight. Arya approved of this idea. Witches were forbidden to use their powers outside the school unless their lives were in immediate danger. Brienne couldn’t help her own powers, but it was generally agreed that she would be forgiven if some idiot managed to touch her skin. However, this rule left a problem for witches in that they needed to defend themselves, and could not resort to using magic for every problem. Learning to defend oneself was something all the Witches took up after Brienne did.

The Martell girls were all still snake charmers and could make potent poison from their own blood. Arianne also was able to read into minds now. Obara was able to make a solid weapon out of anything. All she had to do was look a pile of dust and it would assemble into a solid spear or sword and could cut just as quickly, and was just as deadly, because just as easily as Obara could assemble the weapon with a glance, she could also make it disappear. Nym was able read minds almost as well as Arianne, but was better at altering short term memory with no more than a few worded commands. Tyene was able to completely wipe anger from someone’s mind for a while, at least while she was in their presence, completely numbing them to emotions. Sarella was able to heal by suspending her hand over a wound and merely waiting for her magic to heal it. Brienne sometimes envied Sarella as she did Jeyne Westerling. She would prefer to be able to heal rather than hurt others with her touch.

Asha and Theon Greyjoy had power over water, but as they got older, both Asha and Theon showed themselves capable of other things. Asha being a transporter was just one such gift. Theon had developed the gift as well, along with being able to shape shift, change his appearance completely to any face and body he pleased. Asha could also do this, but both siblings preferred being able to stay their own shape, and keep their own faces. Daenerys, like Jon, was completely unharmed by fire. She also had the ability to process any language in a matter of moments, and speak it in a matter of days as though she had been a born native. Podrick had only come of age a few months ago, but it was sudden when he started being able to make someone completely mute by the gesture of zipping his own mouth closed. He was still young and everyone knew other powers could develop in time.

Jeyne Westerling’s healing capabilities, were joined with the ability to tell exactly when a person was lying, like a human lie detector, and her capability to make potions was rivalled by no one. Jeyne Poole could still make herself invisible, and was able to make anyone holding her hand invisible too. She was also able to float in the air, which had made Sansa scream bloody murder when she went into Jeyne’s room to wake her and found her floating three feet off of her bed in the air.

Ygritte, who had never given a surname, could not only create fire in her hands, but she could also see further and clearer than anyone else. Her eyesight was enhanced beyond anyone else’s capabilities. With it she aced the archery class that the students had had with a fellow witch. Sandor Clegane, whilst being able to melt into the shadows, was also able to turn himself into a dog at any time. Usually it was a fierce looking, black hound. Mya and Gendry both still had the ability to melt metal and shape it in any way they chose with a few hand gestures and the power of their imaginations. Mya could also practically stick to any surface. She could walk up a tree or a wall with no hands and no need to climb. Gendry was different. He was able to lift any weight as thought it were nothing. He had a great strength that was practically superhuman. But Gendry had learned to control it very early. He had told Brienne he didn’t want to hurt anyone because he didn’t realise his own strength, and Brienne felt as though she could really understand how Gendry felt.

Three new students had joined the school in the last year. Brienne had just turned sixteen when Samwell Tarly, who preferred to be called Sam, joined the school, with the ability to literally keep every piece of information stored in his mind like a computer. A pair of siblings, Meera and Jojen Reed, also joined the school. Jojen had what was known as ‘Greensight’ which meant he would have visions and though those visions may not make too much sense, they would come to pass in strange and unexpected ways. Meera, like Ygritte, had superhuman sight, but was also able to make bog pits appear with her mind. All she had to do was look at the ground, and a bog would appear in that spot. Bran and Rickon were both still too young to manifest their own abilities. Bran was ten, and Rickon was seven, but Bran had started having what Jojen called ‘Green Dreams’ where he had visions, just like Jojen did. He often woke in the night, scared by his dreams. But since Jojen had arrived a year ago, Bran and he talked over their Greensight and it helped Bran to come to grips with it.

Brienne had become a powerful witch in her own right. She had developed her shield to the point where she could stop any human getting past it, and also stop any magical attack on her person. She could also envelop any number of people she chose to. She had once managed to envelop the whole school. It took a great deal of her energy, and she had slept for a week afterwards. But it was useful to know. Brienne’s telekinesis was something she mastered quickly along with her inhuman hearing abilities. Brienne was not a High Sorceress, but she was well on her way to becoming a very powerful Witch. She wasn’t like Arya, who seemed to be able to use any witch’s power that she saw used, but she was powerful. Some witches had more than two abilities. Some witches developed three or four, even seven abilities. It was witches like Arya, that had no limits who were considered High Sorceress or Sorcerer, though it was rare for a boy to become a High Sorcerer, as the genes were always stronger in girls. Girls were the ultimate rulers of their clans. Their bloodlines were dependent upon women.

It was a sunny day at the end of August when they received visitors. It made Brienne genuinely nervous to see strangers walking up the path to her home. A man with black hair, though he was balding, and a red haired woman, covered head to foot in red clothing, knocked at the door. Brienne was in the garden watching them.

“Can I help you sir? Miss?” Brienne asked. She tried to keep herself calm. The pair looked at the girl.

“I’m here to see Olenna Tyrell. Would you be able to tell us if she is here?” The man asked.

“I can go and check Sir. May I ask who it is that wishes to speak to Mrs Tyrell, just in case she asks?” Brienne asked. The man blinked.

“My name is Stannis Baratheon, and this is my assistant, Melisandre.” The man said. Brienne nodded and ran into the house, hoping to ask Olenna who this man was before his unfamiliar presence invaded her home. She knocked on the study door.

“Come in!” Olenna’s voice called from the other side. Brienne opened the door and walked in.

“Mrs Tyrell, there are two people here to see you. A man called Stannis Baratheon and his assistant, Melisandre.” Brienne said. Olenna looked at Brienne carefully.

“Don’t be so anxious Brienne. Stannis hasn’t been here for a long time, so you haven’t met him yet. But he’s a good man. He’s one of us. A politician. It works in our favour to know certain things in advance.” Olenna said. Brienne nodded. “Go and tell them to come in, escort them to my office and then go and tell the other students that he’s here. I want you all to be on time and gathered in the dining room for dinner tonight. Whatever Stannis is here to tell me, may affect us all.” Olenna said gently. Brienne nodded and did as she was asked. Once she had escorted Stannis and Melisandre to Olenna’s office, she closed the door and went to tell the other students that he was here. It was confusing for her to see their reactions. Jon, Robb, Gendry, Sandor, Theon, Asha and Arya frowned angrily. Sansa and Bran both looked unhappy, and the Martell girls all cursed furiously. Jeyne Westerling and Jeyne Poole clutched hands looking fearful, while Ygritte glared at the floor. Mya clenched her fists and turned to look out of the window. Podrick came to stand next to Brienne and clutch at her hand. He’d grown very close to her, almost like a little brother. Rickon kicked at the wall, and Jon scolded him, but pulled the boy over to hug him. Daenerys just looked at the floor, her lips pursed somewhere between a pout and a frown, as though she didn’t really know what to do. Galladon, though he was not a student, still looked ill at ease. Margaery trembled a little, while Loras held on to her hand, his own knuckles white with how tight he held on.

“I don’t understand. What is it about Stannis Baratheon that is so bad?” Sam asked. Sam, Meera and Jojen were all new, but Jojen also seemed unhappy. Brienne knew it was probably something to do with his Greensight, and she didn’t question it.

“Whenever he shows up it’s usually something really awful for our kind, or a change in the way we do things, or both.” Sansa said.

“Basically, he never comes to tell us that things are great. He comes to tell us when we’re fucked.” Sandor stated crudely. Rickon giggled a little, while the other Starks, and Jon, glared at Sandor’s language. Brienne couldn’t help the anxiety that crept up her spine and coiled in the pit of her stomach as she wondered exactly what it was that Stannis Baratheon was telling Olenna at the moment.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The school gathered in the dining room for dinner, and all waited patiently for Olenna to arrive. When she arrived, Stannis and Melisandre followed behind her and this made Brienne more nervous than before.

“Students, we have some... strange news... I’m going to let Stannis explain this to you.” Olenna said. She looked white faced, and Brienne could see whatever Stannis had said had shaken her.

“We are all witches here. No one finds this more repugnant then I do. I’ve argued against it. But I’m afraid the choices have been made. We are to send our young witches to human schools. This means that students of this school will also need to attend human schools.” Stannis stated. Brienne gasped. She wasn’t sure if she could handle being a part of a human school and it frightened her. The knowledge that she could kill someone with a touch of her skin made her more fearful then she could imagine. “I know this will be difficult and hard for you, but without this agreement, there are threats to close all special schools, and the government believe all students should be equal and go to the same schools. They believe that by being educated in a small private school, that you are being deprived of social awareness. We all know this is not true. But without revealing ourselves, we have no choice but to abide by the government’s wishes. Your school is not closing down. But you will have to go to a human school from Mondays to Fridays as humans do.” Stannis said. The students all knew what this meant. It would become twice as hard to hide their abilities.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was September now. Brienne found herself angry, as she pulled on clothes for the day at school. All of them were being made to go. Brienne was grateful that she had people she knew in her classes. Margaery, Sansa, Daenerys, Jeyne Poole, Theon, Gendry and Nym were all sixteen, the same age as Brienne. Robb, Jon, Sam, Asha, Sandor, Mya, Ygritte, Jeyne Westerling, Arianne and Obara were all eighteen and two years above them. Loras and Meera were in the class below them. Arya and Tyene were in the same class below Meera and Loras. Sarella, Jojen, Podrick and Bran were all together luckily. Jojen, Podrick and Bran were all too quiet to ever be left alone in a class. Sarella would make sure they didn’t get picked on at the very least. Rickon was all alone at a new school, which bothered all of them. Rickon had never been alone before. However, Ned and Catelyn had sorted this out when Stannis Baratheon had enrolled his daughter Shireen at the Witch school. She would be arriving at the weekend, and so Shireen and Rickon would be in classes together starting from Monday. It was Wednesday now and the human school started back a few days early to make sure students had their class schedules, locker numbers and knew who their form tutors were that took registration. Brienne pulled on a pair of jeans, a grey, cotton t-shirt, a royal blue hoodie and a pair of fingerless leather gloves, as well as a pair of blue converse and a blue backpack. The whole group had gone shopping to find what they needed for school and it scared them all in different ways. They all wondered how they would get along at a school full of humans. Slip ups with their powers were nothing in front of their own kind, but in front of humans, they knew it could be deadly. They had been taught it often enough. The group all got on the school bus heading from the bottom of the road. There were a few other teens waiting for the bus as well. All Brienne could think of was how to avoid touching or being touched by anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, next chapter, so far we've only had Brienne's P.O.V. Next chapter we shall finally see Jaime and we shall see from both Brienne and Jaime's P.O.V. So see you next time. (nods)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Witches start at a new school, and Brienne Evenfall meets Jaime Lannister. 
> 
> Bad things are going down in the Witch Community.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've taken ages to update this. I do apologise. I feel rather bad. But I got like... extreme writer's block, and then I actually watched American Horror Story: Coven (well the whole series) and suddenly became unblocked. LOL! 
> 
> Anywho, thanks to all of you who read, commented and sent me Kudos. I feel loved and I appreciate all of your time. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Coven.

Chapter 5.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jaime Lannister hated school, and hated waiting for the school bus even more. His father insisted that they travel by the school bus provided for them. But Jaime had his own car. He and his twin were eighteen. They both at their own cars. Their little brother Tyrion was sixteen. However Jaime managed to look at things, the only thing that made his journey to school by bus logical was that Jaime could protect his little brother on the way to and from school. Cersei never would at any rate. Today, the bus stopped at an unfamiliar corner. Jaime had never seen the school bus full before. Today, he watched as twenty three kids got on the bus and sat down. One of the girls caught his eye. She was as tall as him, maybe taller. Her eyes were the deepest blue he’d ever seen. Her face was plain, covered in freckles, and her teeth were crooked. She was as broad as she was tall, and if it wasn’t for the miniscule curve of her hips, Jaime probably would not have been able to tell she was a girl. Her clothes were baggy, hiding the difference, her straw like, blonde hair was chopped short, and Jaime wasn’t sure what it was, but she interested him.

“Hey we got ourselves a big bitch as a new student!” One of the boys yelled. The girl ignored him completely and sat down. A girl with curly brown hair sat beside her. Two boys sat in the seat in front, and two others in the seat behind. It was almost as though they were trying to surround her, protect her, like their own personal wall. But Jaime couldn’t see why. The girl seemed capable of taking care of herself. He noticed that from her neck downwards, every piece of her skin was covered. Only her head was visible. It was hot and Jaime couldn’t think why anyone would want to cover themselves from head to foot in clothing.

“They’re the weirdoes that come from that private school house.” Cersei told Jaime. “I can see why that one doesn’t want to be seen in public. She’s a freak.” Cersei added, gesturing at the tall blonde.

“We don’t know her. We can’t make judgements.” Jaime replied, feeling an almost undeniable need to defend her. Cersei frowned.

“Don’t tell me that you fancy that ugly thing? Gods I wonder about your taste sometimes.” Cersei hissed. Then she faced front and Jaime looked at Tyrion, who seemed to have started to make friends with some of the new students. It was weird and Jaime wasn’t quite sure what was going on.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Olenna, Stannis, Ned, Catelyn and nine others, stood on a hill outside of King’s Landing. There, in the middle of their circle, was a woman. She was lying, spread-eagled on the grass, the ground around her stained red. There were bullet holes in her head, chest and stomach. Her violet eyes stared lifelessly into the sky, and her midnight hair was fanned around her face like a great dark halo.

“This is definitely Ashara Dayne.” Olenna said sadly.

“What in the Seven Hells was she doing here?” Robert Baratheon asked.

“That is what we’re trying to find out.” Stannis said to his older brother.

“Well we need to find out quickly.” Maege Mormont stated. “The Starfall Witches will be up in arms about this. Her daughter Allyria, is only eighteen.” Maege added.

“That is why I’m here. I can read her to find out who did this.” Catelyn told the older woman. Maege nodded.

“The fact that a Starfall Witch was attacked is a great concern.” Alannys Greyjoy stated firmly.

“We know this Alannys. She is a member of one of the thirteen ancient bloodlines. We can’t have this ruining the truces we have between the clans.” Stannis stated.

“A Witch didn’t do this. It’s too messy, too out in the open. A Witch isn’t stupid enough to commit a crime like this.” Alys Karstark said.

“Alys? You’re old enough to speak for the Karstarks now. You turned twenty one three weeks ago yes?” Olenna asked the girl. Alys nodded.

“Yes. But the age of adulthood amongst our kind is sixteen as well you know. This is the first time I’ve ever had to come for the council of Magic.” Alys said. She looked at Ashara Dayne. “I don’t know who would do this. It doesn’t feel like a coincidence.” Alys added.

“We called Arthur and Allyria. They’ll be here shortly.” Renly Baratheon said.

“Thank you Renly. Now the problem arises in finding out what happened to her.” Stannis’ wife, Selyse, a witch in her own right, said softly.

“Selyse we won’t have a problem finding out what happened to her, hopefully, with Catelyn’s powers we have a good chance of seeing what happened before she died. But we need permission from Arthur and Allyria before we can do that.” Olenna stated. Stannis Baratheon’s wife stood frowning. That was when Lysa Tully Arryn stepped forward.

“Cat, you must find out what happened. I could not bear to see war. My sweet Robin is still far too young to be sequestered in the Academy, and I would never leave him in anyone else’s care but my own or the School’s.” Lysa stated fearfully.

“I know Lysa. We will find out what happened to her.” Catelyn said. That was when Melisandre appeared with a dark haired male, and a dark haired woman, who looked very like Ashara.

“Arthur and Allyria.” Benjen Stark said softly.

“Yes, that’s Arthur and Allyria, little brother.” Ned said to Benjen.

“Well brother, this isn’t going to be easy.” Benjen shot back. Oberyn Martell looked at the rest, frowning.

“I will not risk the lives of my daughters and niece in this. You know that well enough Ned Stark. I lost one sister to a war, I’ll not lose more family members.” Oberyn stated.

“We don’t know if we’re dealing with a war quite yet Oberyn Martell.” Olenna said firmly. Oberyn merely nodded as the trio approached.

Allyria screamed as she saw the body, as though she were being ripped in two, as though her very soul was being ripped from her body.

“No! Not my Mother! No!” Allyria screamed. She threw herself down onto the ground beside her mother’s body. Arthur looked gravely at the scene. His hands trembled, and his eyes grew damp with tears.

“What happened here? We need to know who did this and why?” Arthur said sadly.

“I know this is horrible Allyria, Arthur, but we need to ask your permission for Cat to look into her last moments.” Olenna said gently. Allyria nodded.

“Please. Do it. I want to know who murdered my mother.” Allyria said softly. Catelyn nodded and knelt on the ground, on Ashara’s other side. She took the dead woman’s hand and gasped as a rush of images came to her. She collapsed backwards onto the ground, breathing harshly, her hand clutched to her heart.

“This was done by witch hunters. It wasn’t Ashara they were after first. They were after another girl. Another descendent of one of the ancient bloodlines from the Wildling clan. They were looking for Dalla Rayder or Val.” Catelyn whispered. That was when Alys let out a scream.

“I think they found her!” Alys screamed in horror, and pointed to a cove of trees. The group looked to see that a pyre had been set up there. All that was left were ashes, a stake, and a burned body.

“Is that Vall or Dalla?” Ned asked sadly. Catelyn stood up shakily, reaching for Ned. She took his arm and walked, with his support to the charred remains of the body, lying on the ground. Catelyn shakily placed a hand on the burnt hand of the body, and after a moment, she began to scream. Ned wrenched Catelyn away, and Catelyn started to sob and shake.

“Catelyn? What did you see?” Olenna asked. Catelyn, after a few moments, opened her eyes and looked at Olenna fearfully.

“It was Dalla Rayder, and we are at war. Witch Hunters are coming for the ancient bloodlines. Dalla and Ashara learned they want to end all the ancient bloodlines. They want us all gone, but they’re looking for those who are the last of their line, so that no more can be bred before they kill them. They’re looking for a Casterly Witch and an Evenfall one.” Catelyn said.

“The Evenfall one must be Brienne. The powers are passed through women mostly. It’s rare for men to pass on the genes, but they would kill Galladon to be sure anyway.” Ned said softly.

“But who is the Casterly Witch? We didn’t know there were any left?” Stannis stated.

“Joanna Casterly married Tywin Lannister, the business tycoon. We have no idea whether there were children from that union. He’s a human, and she dropped off of the radar after she married him. We need to track him down and find out if they had any children. We can’t afford to let these witch hunters destroy the ancient bloodlines and clans.” Robert stated.

“This means assembling the council again for the first time in nearly thirty years.” Olenna stated.

“Brienne Evenfall must attend as the last female Evenfall Witch. She’s of age. It is her duty.” Stannis stated.

“She’s too young.” Catelyn said.

“No younger than you were the first time you attended Council Catelyn, on behalf of the Riverrun Witches.” Oberyn stated.

“Does this mean your niece attends on behalf of the Sunspear witches?” Catelyn asked angrily.

“No. Obara is the eldest, she will attend. She may bring a second, as all witches may when attending council, just as Brienne will be allowed to. Most likely she will bring her older brother with her. Daenerys Targaryen must also attend. So must Sansa.” Oberyn stated. Ned glared at Oberyn.

“Sansa is too young.” Ned said.

“She’s sixteen, of age to represent the clans and speak for our Coven. We have no choice in this Ned.” Stannis said.

“We convene the Council on the thirteenth day of the month, when the moon is full. That is five days from now.” Robert said. Everyone agreed and then used magic to clear the scene. This was not a crime that could be solved by humans. This was a crime to be solved by witches, and witches alone.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne hated the classrooms. She found that idiot boys would throw things at her and she was terrified that any one of them might touch her. They might decide that pulling her hair was a good idea. They might decide to try and pull off her clothes like Hyle and Ronnet, and end up dead as they did. She was glad that she had Sansa, Daenerys and Margaery in class with her. She was surrounded by her friends and she was glad of it. The classes were tedious. Brienne and the girls already knew everything they were being shown now. Olenna Tyrell had not been remiss in their mortal education over the years. She had advanced them all above the levels which they were learning now. The teacher came past and frowned at her.

“What is your name young lady?” The man asked coldly.

“My name is Brienne Evenfall, Mr Bolton.” Brienne replied.

“We do not wear gloves inside Miss Evenfall, especially not in the summer.” Mr Bolton stated coldly.

“Sir, Brienne has a severe allergy to the sun. She has to keep her gloves on and she has to stay covered up.” Margaery said.

“I don’t recall asking for your opinion young lady.” Mr Bolton said. He looked at Brienne again. “Take them off, Miss Evenfall.” He added coldly. Brienne looked anxiously at Margaery. Margaery didn’t seem to know what to do. “Take them off right now Miss Evenfall or you will spend the next week in detention after school.” Mr Bolton said. Brienne’s hands trembled as she took the gloves off. She was so terrified that someone would touch her hands that she couldn’t stop shaking.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jaime hated it when a teacher sent him to get something from Mr Bolton’s classroom. He hated Mr Bolton generally. He and Tyrion often wondered if the man was a genuine psychopath. He knocked at the door and walked in once he heard Mr Bolton call for him to enter. The man liked giving after school detentions, and Jaime did not wish to be caught up in the man’s twisted sense of justice.

“Ah, Mr Lannister, what is it that you want?” Mr Bolton asked.

“Mr Dondarrion asked me to come and fetch the Globe from this classroom. Our one fell off of it’s stand again, and the school hasn’t replaced it.” Jaime replied. Mr Bolton snorted with derision and held out a clipboard and pen.

“Sign it to say you’ve taken the globe and that you’ll be bringing it back. I’m not going to have my things go missing.” Mr Bolton stated. Jaime went to take the clipboard and pen. He thought he’d had hold of it, and the pen slipped through his fingers, rolling across the floor, and hitting someone’s black Dr Marten boots. Jaime went over and saw that it was the very tall girl from the bus that morning, who had picked up the pen and held it out gingerly. Jaime took it and wrote the note on the clipboard as Mr Bolton had asked. Mr Dondarrion had said he’d take the globe back after class, so that wasn’t an issue. He handed the clipboard and pen back to Mr Bolton who went to unhook the globe from the chain he had it attached to on the wall. He looked at the girl and held out a hand.

“You’re obviously new. I’m Jaime Lannister.” Jaime stated, and looked at the panicked expression on the girl’s face. It was obvious that she did not want to shake his hand. Maybe she had OCD.

“Miss Evenfall, someone has introduced themselves to you. Do you lack the basic manners to introduce yourself and shake their hand?” Mr Bolton said. The girl looked up into Jaime’s eyes with her own deep blue ones. He’d never seen eyes so blue in his life. It was almost mesmerising.

“I’m Brienne Evenfall.” The girl said softly. She still did not make to shake his hand, her own fiddled with a pen on her desk. She looked terrified.

“Miss Evenfall, you will shake hands. This is ridiculous. Don’t tell me that you private school children have no sense of proper etiquette.” Mr Bolton stated. Jaime decided to save the poor girl the trouble and reached forward grabbing her hand and shaking it firmly. Brienne’s eyes went wide as saucers, and so did the eyes of the girls sat around her. All of them looked as though the blood had drained from their faces.

 _“Why do they look like they expect me to drop dead?”_ Jaime thought to himself as he slowly let go of Brienne’s hand and she snatched it away as though she’d been burned. Jaime looked at his little brother, who was in this class, and Tyrion shrugged, as though he had no idea what was wrong himself, which Jaime surmised, he probably didn’t. These students were as new to Tyrion as they were to him. Jaime left the classroom, wondering what it was exactly that had bothered them all so much.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne felt that horror, for that single moment when the golden Jaime Lannister had grabbed hold of her hand, and all the blood drained from her body.

“He’s going to die. He’s going to die and it’s my fault.” Brienne thought. But he didn’t die. He didn’t start to convulse and bleed as Hyle and Ronnet had. He didn’t act as though he’d felt anything at all. That could only mean one thing. Jaime Lannister had Witch blood and he didn’t even know it. Brienne knew that after school today, she was going to have to talk to Mrs Tyrell. When she looked at her fellow witches, she could see they all thought the same.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jaime was waiting on the school bus, as he saw the group of teens from that morning got on to the bus. All of them seemed to be looking at him.

“What did you do for the freaks to stare at you?” Cersei asked him.

“He shook Brienne Evenfall’s hand. She looked like you’d just committed murder when you did that Jaime. It was hilarious.” Tyrion said. Cersei glared at Tyrion.

“Shut up imp.” Cersei hissed. Tyrion smirked.

“Make me Cersei.” Tyrion replied coolly. Jaime watched the new students, all twenty three of them, jump off of the bus and disappear up the road and through the gate of one of the large houses. Brienne Evenfall was the last to go. She gave Jaime the strangest look, as though she didn’t believe he was a real person, and then she was gone too, following her female friends, all of them with their heads together, talking like conspirators with a secret. Jaime wondered exactly what it was about shaking her hand, that had gotten to Brienne Evenfall.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne went into the school and changed out of her clothes. The day had been hot and she sweltered in her hoodie and jeans. But she had no choice. She knew that. She placed her gloves on top of her chest of drawers, and frowned as she went to have a shower. Soon she was wearing shorts and a tunic shirt. She liked the coolness of the house after the heat of the school. She went down the stairs and went to knock on the door of Mrs Tyrell’s office. The door flew open and Galladon was standing there. He was still far taller than she was, and it was strange for Brienne to have to look up at anyone really.

“Brienne, you need to come and sit down in Mrs Tyrell’s office. I’m going to go and get Obara, Daenerys, Sansa and Margaery. Just... I don’t know what you wanted to talk to Mrs Tyrell about, but you should do it now, because as soon as I get back with the others, we’re all going to have to talk.” Galladon stated. Brienne felt confused as Galladon disappeared up the stairs. She went into the office and saw Ned and Catelyn already sat with Olenna. She saw frowns etched on their faces.

“What’s going on?” Brienne asked.

“What is it you wished to tell us Brienne?” Olenna shot back.

“A boy grabbed my hand to shake it in class today.” Brienne said. Catelyn, Ned and Olenna seemed to be waiting for more. “The teacher forced me to take off my gloves beforehand.” Brienne finished.

“Is he...” Catelyn looked worried, and trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

“No. We were all shocked and I was coming to tell you because he must have Witch blood if he didn’t... well... die...” Brienne trailed off herself.

“What is this boy’s name?” Olenna asked.

“His name is Jaime Lannister.” Brienne replied. Olenna, Catelyn and Ned all nodded.

“Does he have any brothers or sisters?” Catelyn asked.

“I believe he has a younger brother in my year, and a twin sister. He’s in the same class as Robb and Jon I think.” Brienne replied. She wasn’t sure what was going on as the nods went on between the teachers. “I don’t understand what is going on.” Brienne said softly.

“You will child. Soon.” Olenna replied. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you comment and let me know what you think. (nods) Comments are love <3 Until next time. (nods again)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thanks to everyone who has read and commented and sent me kudos. I really appreciate it. It makes my day to read comments from people and know that everyone seemed to enjoy this story.
> 
> Secondly, someone (I have no idea who) nominated this story for a Fanfic Fanatics Award. Whoever it was, thanks so much! I feel quite proud. Apparently voting has ended now. I don't know how it all works, but I'm still kinda glad that I was even nominated. 
> 
> So... sit back and enjoy the chapter. (nods)

Coven.

Chapter 6.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Galladon returned with Daenerys, Obara, Margaery and Sansa. All the girls looked deeply confused, just as Brienne was sure she looked. Olenna looked at the five students.

“As you know, we witches revere women as the heads of our clans and covens. In five days time we are to assemble a council of the thirteen great bloodlines for the first time in nearly ten years. There has been an attack on witches and two of our kind, are dead. Both are from one of the thirteen bloodlines. Ashara Dayne, a Starfall witch and Dalla Rayder of the Wildling Clan witches. They were murdered by witch hunters. This council will be held so we can decide the best course of action and all of you girls are expected to attend. Brienne and Daenerys as the last females of their clans and Obara and Sansa as the eldest females of their own. Margaery, you will be attending with me as a Highgarden witch. You must learn the ways of council so that when I am gone, you will not have so much to learn.” Olenna said.

“We can pick seconds can we not?” Obara asked.

“Yes that is true. We take seconds with us. They stand behind us as protection and as someone who may take our places in the future. This is why I have chosen Margaery to come with me. Obara you will have to pick someone to go with you, as will Daenerys, Brienne and Sansa. Think carefully before you choose. Whoever you choose will have to be able to stay silent during the meeting unless spoken to and will have to keep guard at your back.” Olenna said. Obara nodded.

“My father will be my second.” Obara said.

“A good choice Obara, though I must warn that he is rather... inflamed by recent events. He will look out for the best interests of your family. I shall inform him of your decision of course.” Olenna said.

“Jon is my brother, I pick him as my second.” Daenerys said. Olenna nodded.

“He’s young but he’s the last of your blood Daenerys. I can understand why you would pick him.” Olenna said.

“I also know that Jon would never harm me and give good counsel. He’s always been honest and he wouldn’t allow me to be killed, just as I wouldn’t allow him to be killed.” Daenerys replied. Olenna nodded her understanding and then looked at Sansa.

“I pick my father.” Sansa said.

“A wise choice. Your mother will be representing the Riverrun witches of course, so she will be there. Your father knows more about the Winterfell line than anyone.” Olenna said. She looked at Brienne.

“Like Daenerys, I only have my brother. So Galladon should be my second. He knows more about this world then I do and I know he would always keep my counsel.” Brienne said. Galladon placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

“You will be introduced to the other representatives in due course at the council meeting.” Olenna said.

“Is there anything we should know about this meeting?” Brienne asked.

“Yes. You must all wear black and you will be given hooded cloaks to wear. We shall be meeting in our sacred council area on the thirteenth night of the month when the moon is full. It gives us five days. You must all be very careful because we know these witch hunters are looking for witches of the thirteen ancient bloodlines. They’re specifically looking for Evenfall and Casterly witches at the moment. So Brienne, you and Galladon must be especially vigilant.” Olenna said firmly. They all nodded and Olenna dismissed them. They were all anxious about this strange meeting to come.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jaime was slaving over his homework whilst Tyrion read a book when they heard the sound of their doorbell. A servant went to answer it and, after what seemed like mere moments, Cersei burst into Jaime’s room.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you who turned up at our door.” Cersei stated.

“The senator?” Jaime shot back, not really concerned.

“No. Some balding man and some red haired woman. They were both dressed in black. They asked to talk with father about mother.” Cersei said. Jaime and Tyrion both went wide eyed. Since their mother had died during Tyrion’s birth, she had never been discussed. Cersei and Jaime barely remembered a single thing about her, and only remembered what she looked like because of the beautiful portrait of her that hung in their sitting room, over the fireplace.

“Fuck this! I’m going to go and listen in.” Tyrion stated, getting up from where he’d sprawled out across Jaime’s bedroom floor. Cersei glared at Tyrion.

“Do you really think father isn’t going to notice if you listen in, you little monster?” Cersei hissed.

“Now let me think about this. Our mother, who we know little to nothing about, is being discussed in the study at this moment, and we’re standing here arguing over whether father catches us out or not? Really? And _you’re_ the older one Cersei?” Tyrion shot out. Then he was out of the door and gone.

“Cersei, he’s right. Father won’t let us know. He has never let us know anything about mother before. So if we want to learn, we’d better go and do what Tyrion’s doing. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. If we get grounded or punished, so what? Besides, we’re eighteen years old. Aren’t we a little old to be scared of our father?” Jaime stated, before following Tyrion down the stairs. He heard Cersei following behind him. He noted she wasn’t wearing her heeled shoes as she usually did, but a pair of flat sandals, which meant her steps didn’t make the usual clicking sound down the marble corridor. They crept down the stairs and met Tyrion at the study door. The door was slightly ajar and the trio could hear their father inside, speaking with the two visitors.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stannis and Catelyn had been sent to speak with Tywin Lannister. Stannis because he represented a higher political force for the coven, and Catelyn because she had been a friend of Joanna’s in the first place. But they were both exasperated by Tywin Lannister, who refused to listen to reason.

“You both seem to think you know more about my late wife then I do.” Tywin stated angrily.

“Did you know your wife was a witch?” Catelyn asked.

“Of course I knew.” Tywin spat.

“Did you know that her bloodline was one of the ancient bloodlines, one of the first thirteen great families of our people?” Stannis asked.

“She didn’t mention she was witch royalty, if _that_ is what you’re asking.” Tywin said.

“Your children are in great danger Mr Lannister. Witch Hunters are looking to end the Casterly line. They can do that by killing your children. They’re the last ones left of the Casterly bloodline.” Stannis told Tywin. Tywin glared.

“I shall make sure that my security is increased.” Tywin stated angrily.

“You don’t understand.” Catelyn tried to say.

“No, it is you who do not understand, Mrs Stark. My children will not be introduced into this world of insanity. Joanna and I were agreed upon it.” Tywin said.

“Really? That doesn’t sound like the Joanna Casterly I knew. She embraced her powers and would have taught her children to do the same.” Catelyn stated angrily.

“She’s been dead for sixteen years Mrs Stark. I don’t know how you found us, but you _will_ leave.” Tywin hissed.

“You can’t hide from this Mr Lannister. Your son shook hands with a girl from my school today. An Evenfall witch. Did Joanna tell you the story about them?” Catelyn asked.

“Some guff about how they were blessed and cursed with the most destructive and powerful magic. A children’s fairytale to scare little witches I’m sure.” Tywin replied.

“When your son shook her hand he should have _died_. The very _touch_ of her skin kills mortals. He has witch blood and that is what saved his life. That was pure luck. But from that we were able to discover you Mr Lannister. From one encounter, we were able to discern that your children have witch blood and we were able to track you down. Witch Hunters do not knock at the door as we have. They lie in wait, looking for the perfect opportunity, and the first one they will take from you will be your _daughter_ , then your _sons_. One by one, they will wait for opportunities to murder them because of Joanna’s bloodline, and your daughter first because the bloodline carries on first and foremost through women. We are trying to help you Mr Lannister, and the children. You must understand that.” Catelyn said.

“My children are not going to be a part of your witch council, or your witch world. I will not allow it. They are normal children and they will be perfectly well without any of your insanity.” Tywin stated. “I think it’s time that you left.” He added firmly. Stannis and Catelyn looked at each other and nodded.

“Fine. It’s you putting your children’s lives at risk, not us. We’ve tried to warn you.” Stannis stated. Catleyn looked at Stannis and he shook his head. Catelyn clenched her fists, trying not to scream. Stannis and Catelyn walked to the study door and opened it, only for the three, golden haired, Lannister children to jump back from the door. Tywin glared at them.

What are the three of you doing outside my study like that?” Tywin asked coldly.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Loras was sat with Renly Baratheon in the back garden of the school. It was a beautiful garden, filled with flowers and trees.

“So that’s Brienne Evenfall?” Renly asked. He was older than Loras by five years. Being twenty years old, Renly had left his own school two years ago. It had been a school closer to his brothers. But Renly had been brought here for the meeting. Robert had insisted on Renly being his second, despite the fact that Stannis was the elder of Robert’s younger brothers, and the only one with a child, and a female child at that, to carry on the line of the Storm’s End witches.

“Yeah, that’s Brienne. She’s... she’s a good person. She... she’s always so sad though.” Loras replied. Renly blinked.

“I’d be sad too if I couldn’t go out of the house without covering every bit of my skin from head to foot that I could. Wouldn’t you be sad if every time you left the school you had to worry about a mortal accidentally touching your skin and dying? I know I would. The poor kid deserves more than that. Maybe finding the Casterly Witches will help.” Renly told Loras.

“Why’s that?” The pair looked at Margaery, who seemed to have snuck up on them. They had not heard her approach.

“It was a Casterly witch that cursed the Evenfall line. If a Casterly witch forgives the Evenfall witches for their supposed crime, then at least Brienne and Galladon’s future offspring won’t be tainted by the curse. At least... that’s the idea.” Renly said. Margaery frowned.

“It’s horrible. That they did that in the first place was cruel. The story is that the first Brienne Evenfall fell in love with a mortal, but her family had expected her to marry a Casterly witch. He was so angry that she spurned him in favour of a mortal man, that he cursed her. That’s the story, how true it is, I don’t know, but I never asked Grandmother. I feel like I’d be prying if I asked her a question like that.” Margaery said solemnly. Renly got up from where he sat.

“I’ll go and talk to her for a minute. I’m friends with Galladon, so I should at least introduce myself.” Renly stated. He went over and started to speak to Brienne. Margaery frowned as she looked at her brother.

“You’re too young to be making puppy eyes at a Storm’s End Witch Loras. That and he’s twenty and you’re fifteen. It’s not legal.” Margaery stated firmly. Loras glared at his older sister.

“Don’t make judgements Margaery. Besides... I really like him.” Loras said softly. Margaery sighed.

“I know you like him. Every time he’s ever visited the school you’ve hung from his every word. I’m just saying that at least for now, that it’s an impossible dream. You’ll have to wait until you’re older. You have to at least wait until you’re sixteen. Then you’re officially of age to make your own decisions in our community.” Margaery stated. Loras nodded his understanding.

“I know Margs. I know. Doesn’t stop me from liking him.” Loras replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jaime glared down at the floor as their father stared at them. Jaime was eighteen years old and he still felt afraid of his father. This time, however, he felt the need to speak up.

“You never told us. You never told us about our own mother.” Jaime asked.

“You didn’t need to know.” Tywin stated. Tyrion looked at the two strangers.

“My mother had... powers... did those powers involve being able to move things just by looking at them? Or to be able to read through a book without ever opening the cover?” Tyrion asked. Jaime and Cersei stared at their younger brother.

“Yes. Those were two of her gifts.” The man stated. The woman looked closely at Tyrion, then at Jaime and Cersei.

“I sense a blocking spell on the two eldest. Joanna must have done it to keep them safe until they were old enough to control their powers themselves, but didn’t get a chance to do it with Tyrion obviously.” The woman said gently.

“What do you mean?” Jaime asked. Cersei looked as though all the blood in her body had drained away.

“I mean that you both have had a blocking spell placed on you and that it has to be removed so you can use your powers now. Or the spell should cease by a certain age. If I knew the spell your mother used I’d be able to tell you when to expect changes to occur, because once your powers are restored to you, you will have trouble controlling them without proper instruction.” The man said.

“But... I’m different.” Tyrion said sadly.

“You’re different because your mother died after you were born, or she probably would have done the same for you as well.” The woman said.

“I’m not a freak! I’m nothing like that little monster!” Cersei yelled. She trembled with suppressed rage. Jaime looked at their father who stood behind his desk.

“This meeting is at an end Mrs Stark, Mr Baratheon. There is nothing more that needs to be said.” Their father stated coldly. The woman frowned and shook her head.

“You can’t hide from this Mr Lannister. No spell can block a witch’s powers forever. Your two older children will exhibit signs and they will need to be taught how to control their abilities. Your younger son already seems to know what we’re talking about. Leaving magic unchecked without the proper instruction can lead to disaster.” The woman said.

“Yes and I’m sure that’s what you told all those other brats that you keep locked up in your school.” Tywin said.

“No student is locked up at our school.” The woman replied.

“No? What about this girl who is a ‘danger to mortals’ then? Is she not kept away from the public for her own good?” Tywin stated. Jaime blinked.

“Wait, you were talking about her earlier. The tall, blonde girl that I shook hands with. No wonder she looked like somebody had died.” Jaime said.

“Why do you care Jaime?” Cersei hissed. Tyrion looked at the man and the woman who stood before them.

“I want to learn how to use my gifts.” Tyrion said. “I thought I was a freak. I thought I was some sort of monster. Now I know there are others like me. I’d like to know more.” Tyrion stated. Tywin glared.

“You will not be going to any witch school Tyrion. You are a Lannister.” Tywin stated firmly. Tyrion frowned as he looked at the floor. The woman looked as though she were about to speak, but the man placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

“We should leave Catelyn. We’ve said all we can say. I’m sure your husband and children are waiting for you, as my own wife and child are waiting for me.” The man said. The woman looked at Tyrion, then at Cersei, and then at Jaime. She pulled a card out of her black handbag and handed it to Tyrion.

“If you need our help, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call us.” Catelyn said. Tyrion looked at the card, and Jaime noticed a strange glimmer over Tyrion’s eyes, but it was gone within moments. Jaime had seen it before when Tyrion read a book or letter. But he had never thought anything of it. He thought it a trick of the light or just the glimmer of Tyrion’s mind at work. Now he recognised it for what it was. It was magic. Tywin strode over and snatched the card from Tyrion, throwing it onto the lit fireplace.

“He won’t be needing it.” Tywin stated. Catelyn gave their father such a look, that Jaime wondered how her head was still attached to her shoulders. It was a look of ice that would have had his father’s wrath rain down upon anyone else. Then Catelyn and the man left the room and walked down the hall to the front door. The man opened the door for Catelyn and they left, closing the door firmly behind them. Tywin looked at his children.

“This will not be mentioned again. You will stay away from the students of that school.” Tywin Lannister stated. He did not wait for any answer, merely sat behind his desk and began working again. The three Lannister children left the study, none of them speaking or even looking at each other. None of them knew what to say.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

“So Tywin refused to cooperate?” Olenna questioned.

“Yes. He wouldn’t even acknowledge the danger that his children are in.” Catelyn replied sadly.

“All we can do is try to keep an eye on them. Without his cooperation we can’t even put spells up. We’d need a drop of his blood so he could get through them.” Olenna replied.

“He’s a damn fool. A smart businessman, but a terrible parent from what I’ve heard of him.” Stannis stated. Olenna nodded.

“We can’t judge him as a parent. All we can do is try to keep those children safe.” Olenna replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next day, Brienne felt anxiety creep through her as she saw Cersei Lannister glaring at her. It was lunch time and Brienne had gone to wait under a large tree at the front of the school. She and the others had agreed to meet up here. She drew less attention if she ate with her friends out under a tree, rather than in the school cafeteria, where students were likely to try and draw attention to all the clothing she wore to cover her skin. Cersei strode up to Brienne and snatched at the backpack that Brienne wore on one shoulder. Brienne wasn’t expecting this and so didn’t react fast enough to stop Cersei taking it.

“I’d like my bag back please.” Brienne said firmly. Margaery and Sansa appeared then.

“I don’t fucking care.” Cersei snapped back. Her green eyes blazed like emeralds catching the sunlight, and the frown marring her face gave her a look of menace. “You freaks shouldn’t be interfering in my life.” Cersei added angrily.

“Right now, you’re interfering in _our_ lives.” Margaery shot out angrily, her own brown eyes staring Cersei down. Cersei just carried on glaring.

“Other freaks from your school came to my house. I’m not like any of you. I’m not a freak.” Cersei hissed. Sansa clenched her small fists then, anger swirling in her blue eyes.

“That’s my mother you’re talking about, and she was trying to help you, you ingrate.” Sansa hissed angrily. Brienne reached forwards and snatched her bag back.

“That’s enough. We’re having our lunch. You’re welcome to join us, otherwise, leave us alone.” Brienne said softly. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were dark with anger, almost black rather than the deep blue they’d always been. Cersei glared, her own fists clenched, before she spun on her heel and stormed off. Brienne, Margaery and Sansa all looked at each other.

“I think we’re going to have a problem.” Margaery said.

“I do too, and I don’t know if we can fix this.” Brienne replied.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Two days later, only two days before the meeting, Brienne was waiting at the gate for the others. She’d finished her test in Mr Bolton’s class rather early, and the man had been fuming and said that since she was done she was to leave the classroom and not disturb the other students. So Brienne had done that, waving at Sansa and Margaery to let them know she’d be waiting for them. That was when Cersei appeared again.

“Go away Cersei. I haven’t got time for this crap.” Brienne stated irritably. Cersei glared back at Brienne.

“It just so happens I finished the test I had in Mr Craster’s class. He told me to leave seeing as I finished early. Not everything is about you.” Cersei stated. Brienne felt a tingle travel down her spine. Something was wrong, and Brienne knew it. She spun around and saw a black van parked outside the school gates. She looked at Cersei.

“You have to go Cersei. You have to go into the school right now.” Brienne said.

“I don’t have to do anything, bitch. I can do what I want.” Cersei said. That was when she saw it. A masked man in black, stood behind Cersei.

“Cersei behind you!” Brienne yelled. Cersei looked confused, but before she could turn, the man hit Cersei in the back of the head with a baton, knocking her unconscious. Brienne spun around and dodged the blow of another baton. She looked into the cold eyes of another masked man, clothed in black, who swung for her. She put her weight onto her left foot and executed a sound, right roundhouse kick on the man, catching him in the jaw and knocking him to the ground. Another man came for Brienne, and she switched to stand on the balls of her feet, using her fists, she gave her new assailant two quick, hard jabs to the stomach, winding him. There were three others that Brienne could see now, and she wondered where they had come from. She saw Cersei’s attacker dragging her towards the black van. “You’re not taking her!” Brienne yelled. She may not like Cersei, but Cersei was one of them. She was a witch, and witches stuck together. Witches did not abandon each other when they were in need. She dropped to one knee and drove her fist into one man, then quickly placed her hands on the ground, pushing her legs up in the air and kicking two more men directly in the nose, though Brienne had a feeling that was luck, as she heard the crunching of their noses breaking. She spun on her hands and landed back on her feet, but then she felt a chain wrapped around her neck.

“You put up a good fight Miss Evenfall, but not good enough.” A man said. Then he tightened the chain around Brienne’s neck, and even as she struggled to break free, she began to see black spots before her eyes. She couldn’t breathe, she was taking gasping breaths, but no air was reaching her lungs. Everything began to fade away, as Brienne heard the pounding of her blood in her head, and soon she knew no more.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Jaime finished his test with Old Craster as the bell rung, and he left the class, noticing that some of the students of the witch school were also getting out of their seats. Jaime couldn’t believe Cersei had finished so quickly. As he went into the corridor, he saw pandemonium. He saw a teacher comforting a girl who was babbling almost incoherently.

“They were all dressed in black and they had masks and they took Cersei Lannister and one of the new girls, the really tall one.” The girl said. Jaime felt his heart stop. Cersei is his twin, that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

“What are you talking about?” Jaime asked the girl. She looked at Jaime, and Jaime recognised her as one of Cersei’s little groupies.

“I just... I was going outside for some air and that’s when I saw it. They dragged Cersei and that other tall girl into a black van, and drove off. I don’t know what happened, but they were both out cold.” The girl said. Jaime felt sick inside.

“What tall girl are you talking about?” Jaime saw some of the witches were there now, looking anxious. It was the red haired boy that had spoken. Jaime thought his name was Robb.

“She’s one of your group. Really tall, blonde, covered in clothes? That girl.” The girl said. Her face was white from the shock of witnessing an abduction. The red haired boy’s face turned white as well.

“These men took Brienne?” The red haired boy asked. He was in class with Jaime, and Jaime was _sure_ his name was Robb, but he wasn’t positive.

“They took my sister as well.” Jaime found himself saying. The boy looked at Jaime.

“All I can say is that I hope your sister is alright.” The boy said.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

When Brienne woke up, she saw Cersei next to her, chained to a grey stone wall.

“You’ve been out longer than me.” Cersei said softly. Brienne blinked and touched her throat, hissing as her fingertips made contact with the horrible bruising.

“That doesn’t surprise me. I gave them a fight. They half strangled me to death.” Brienne replied, her voice hoarse. Cersei stared at Brienne.

“You know how to fight?” Cersei asked. Brienne blinked.

“I learned. I had to learn. My... gifts... I’m sure you heard about them.” Brienne replied. Her voice didn’t feel like her own at the moment, and it hurt to talk, but she knew she needed to work her throat, or it would not recover.

“You mean that if anyone who isn’t... like you... touches your skin... that they die?” Cersei asked.

“Anyone who doesn’t have witch blood would die after touching my skin. I can’t even shake hands with anyone unless they carry witch blood.” Brienne replied.

“That’s... that’s kinda sad... you... you’re never going to kiss a boy, or...” Cersei trailed off. Brienne shrugged, her shoulders aching.

“I can kiss someone, if they have witch blood. I supposed it narrows down the pool quite a bit.” Brienne said. Cersei blinked.

“That’s a horrible thing to have.” Cersei said. Brienne nodded.

“It is, but it also protects me in a lot of ways. It’s hard to explain.” Brienne said. Cersei looked fragile and frightened and even though Cersei had been awful to her, Brienne couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. “The others will know we’re missing Cersei. The police might not be able to track us down, but Headmistress Olenna and my brother, Galladon, and the other teachers at the school, they’ll be able to track us down. They’ll find us.” Brienne assured.

“You have a brother?” Cersei asked.

“He’s older than me by four years. He teaches at the school now. I might teach myself if I can.” Brienne replied.

“You know I have brothers. Jaime is my twin, Tyrion is our younger brother. I hate him sometimes. I blame him because our mother died giving birth to him. I know I shouldn’t, that it isn’t fair, but I have to blame someone.” Cersei said. Brienne could see that, for maybe the first time in her life, Cersei was being honest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve been making your life a misery. I just... I just thought I was...” Cersei trailed off.

“You thought you were normal. Now you realise that isn’t the case. I had the same problem. Only I was thirteen when I found it out. Most witches come into their gifts at age thirteen. It’s the number of power among our people. There are thirteen great bloodlines of Witches, and thirteen is the number of gifts that any witch, who isn’t the high sorceress, has possessed.” Brienne said.

“What’s a high sorceress?” Cersei asked.

“The high sorceress is the most powerful witch of our time. Women are the heads of our families and clans, but the high sorceress is like... well the high sorceress is trained to be our supreme leader, and if there was a war, we could be gathered by her to go and fight.” Brienne tried to explain. Cersei felt numb.

“So... witches are a secret society. You all hide your powers.” Cersei stated.

“We haven’t got much choice. If you knew the history behind witch hunts and burnings and massacres, like we’re taught, you’d know why we keep ourselves hidden. We haven’t got a choice.” Brienne said sadly. Cersei nodded and looked at the wall.

“My father will be furious. He never told us about our mother, he hid it from us. Now I’m having a discussion about it with you.” Cersei whispered.

“My father hid the truth from me too. You’re lucky. Your father wants you in his life. He hasn’t shipped you away to the school and told everyone you died. That’s what my father did when my brother started showing his gifts. I was told he drowned. I had nightmares about it for years. Then when I found out about my... powers... I was shipped off too, and I saw my brother. My father lied to me because he wanted perfect children. He wanted children who were not born with the gifts of a coven or a witch bloodline. So he told everyone Galladon and I were dead, remarried, and now... well... now he has new children, children he deems perfect. We don’t exist to him. We changed our names to our mother’s maiden name, the name of our clan. We haven’t looked back since.” Brienne said. Cersei stared at Brienne.

“My father still lied to us.” Cersei said after a few moments.

“He lied, but he could have done much worse. I could’ve forgiven my father for not telling me about my possible gifts. But not for telling me my brother was dead, and not for shipping me away like unwanted trash so he could start over with another woman and new children and pretend that my brother and I, our mother, our dead sisters, never existed. I heard about his new marriage and new son, and that his new wife was pregnant. I went to see if it was true. I just couldn’t... I couldn’t believe it. But when I got back to my old house... everything that had once been familiar was gone. All the old furniture that my mother had picked out, all the photos of her, of me, of my brother and sisters... all gone. He’d wiped every trace of us from his home and his mind and his life. I’ll never forgive him for that. One day when my little half brother, and my other sibling grow up, and they find out about us, because it will happen one day... they’ll hate him for lying too.” Brienne said. Cersei looked at Brienne with a new found respect.

“I don’t know if I could deal with that.” Cersei said. It was perhaps the first honest thing that Cersei had ever said to someone outside her family in her whole life.

“I had to. Galladon and I, we both had no choice. But we had the coven. We had the school. We weren’t alone.” Brienne said sadly. Cersei nodded.

“I think... I think my brothers and I need to talk to our father about all of this. No matter what happens, we need to know where we came from.” Cersei said firmly. Brienne nodded her understanding as they both stared into the darkness of the room, wondering where they were and if anyone was coming for them.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

“They have my sister!” Galladon yelled angrily. Tywin Lannister was sat with his sons in Olenna Tyrell’s study. He knew this was the only place to go, as soon as he knew Cersei had been taken.

“They also have _my_ sister! Who are they?” Jaime shot back angrily.

“Witch hunters.” Olenna said from her chair, behind her desk. The old woman looked weary. She looked at Tywin. “We tried to warn you Tywin, but you wouldn’t listen.” Olenna added. Catelyn, Ned, Stannis and Melisandre were also in the room. The students were in an uproar, all of them in the dining room, wanting to go and find Brienne and bring her home.

“I thought you were trying to make some sort of ploy to bring my children into this school. It’s dangerous. I’ve heard how students have died here before.” Tywin hissed.

“If you heard that from Joanna, she would have told you that it was because those students were unable to control their gifts, and also that very few have ever died in pursuit of controlling their gifts.” Catelyn stated. Then she looked at Galladon. “Galladon, calm down.” Catelyn said gently.

“How? How can I calm down? They have Brienne! She’s the only family I have left in the whole world! She’s my little sister! I can’t just leave her to the mercy of those bastards!” Galladon exclaimed. Jaime was amazed when he saw it, everything around the room began to tremble, and then shake. A lamp, then a vase smashed to splinters, and then a painting started to crack and bend, as though it were being crushed under tremendous pressure.

“What the fuck is going on?” Tyrion asked in horror, only a mere second before Jaime could. Tywin did not even bother to correct his son’s language, in his own shock. Catelyn looked at Ned. Ned stepped forward and looked Galladon in the eyes, placing his hands on the young man’s shoulders.

“We’re not abandoning Brienne. We never abandon one of our own Galladon, you know that. We won’t leave her. But you can’t help if you don’t get yourself under control, so you need to calm down. You need to calm down right now and get this under control.” Ned told Galladon. Galladon started to breathe evenly and steadily, the painting slowly stopped cracking and crunching on the wall, and everything stopped shaking, and soon the trembling of the objects around the room ceased completely. Galladon nodded his understanding and left the study.

“What was with all of that?” Tyrion asked.

“Galladon has extraordinary mental abilities that started with him being able to make things explode with his mind, just by looking at them. Those abilities have developed over the years, but Evenfall witches always have the problem of control to contend with. When they lose control of their emotions, get angry or desperate, or afraid, they lose control.” Catelyn said softly. Jaime wondered then if he was lucky or unlucky that he had no idea of his own abilities.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Brienne had not slept. She couldn’t sleep, knowing what she knew about their assailants, but she let Cersei sleep, because she knew it might well be the last time her fellow witch got to sleep peacefully. She saw a chink of light appearing through a small hole in the top of the wall. It was almost as though a brick were missing. Brienne knew that this might be the last day she would ever see, as she wondered exactly how the Witch Hunters planned to kill them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I also hope the next chapter will not disappoint. Please comment and let me know what you think. Should I kill Cersei? Should I let her live? Do you think Tywin is better or worse than Selwyn Tarth for lying? Any questions you'd like to ask me? Please comment and let me know. Hopefully I will be updating soon and the next chapter will not disappoint.


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